Adverse Situations
by alee-chan
Summary: What happens when everything you know to be true, isn't? What will the occupants at the dojo do upon finding out that Kaoru isn't what she seems to be...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This story has been sitting on my computer for a while now. I figure by submitting it I can stop staring and editing it and move on with the other chapters. Thanks for reading and review please!

**Disclaimers**: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin

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It was a cold stormy night as the woman stumbled through the darkness that enfolded her. 

"_Don't worry Kaoru-dono, sessha will be back." _ Those words seemed to haunt her as she staggered on. Kenshin had always managed to get into her head at the most inappropriate times. Her ankle twisted on something slippery shooting a sharp pain up her right leg.

The storm had taken everyone by surprise and she had rushed to the Akabeko to help out with the many drenched strangers that seemed to land on Tae's doorstep.

Her training gi and hakama was drenched in blood, sweat and rain as the injured, and, what seemed to be the whole population of Tokyo, had managed to find the safe haven that was the Akabeko. Tae and Tsubame were struggling when she had arrived from training at the dojo nearby, her only other source of income for the three other males who had managed to worm themselves into her home, life and heart. She immediately stepped into helping the family who had walked in behind her. She had given countless people a warm cup of tea and made sure the injuries were not too serious. She treated what she could with the supplies the police had given them, although many were left without medical treatment.

Tae had ushered her out of the restaurant as soon as she had seen that Kaoru could barely keep on her feet. _"Kaoru, you need to rest, sit down and I'll get you some tea."_ But Kaoru was worried about Yahiko and had politely refused Tae's kindness, said her goodbyes and had walked out into the night.

"_Yeah, Jou-chan, we'll be back."_ The raven haired woman still kept on moving despite nature's constant battle against her and the pain of her ankle. She pictured the lazy smile of Sano before he had departed with Kenshin, the fish-bone ever present and his jacket still displaying 'bad' as he had turned and walked out of the gates.

"MOU! Why is it whenever I decide to go out, everything is ruined?" It wasn't exactly true, as she had made several daily trips to the many dojos she taught out without anything bad happening. It was just whenever she thought things where starting to level out, something bad just had to happen.

The woman kept battling against the heavens which hadn't stopped its powerful onslaught, each step she took, the one behind disappeared, washed away as if it never existed. She thought it was somewhat like her life, each time she took a step forward, something would disappear behind her, forgotten in her past. She didn't want to let go, but somehow she would have to, to preserve her strength.

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Yahiko stood undercover as he watched the rain pour down unrelentingly upon the dojo and surrounding area. He had been waiting staring at the rain for a familiar figure to step out of the rain and start yelling at him for standing in the cold.

"Damn, busu, where are you?" He was worried, not that he would publicly announce it or anything, but Kenshin had left him with a job. _"Look after Kaoru-dono for sessha, for sessha knows how hard Kaoru-dono works." _He would carry out that job, but he wouldn't be able to do anything in this weather and he certainly couldn't do it if Kaoru wasn't here. He just hoped that she would return soon. Kaoru had said she was going to be out all day and he didn't want to badger her. She had already looked tired before she left.

Yahiko thought about going out to search for her, but it would be pointless if she were on her way home, and upon arrival she would worry about where he had gone. It was better to just stay put. He had already set up her bath so that when she got home she could get clean and warm. His attempt at dinner was waiting in the kitchen. His miso soup was not as good as Kenshin's but it was better than nothing, and seemed easy enough to prepare. He was learning to make small meals at the Akabeko and Tae had explained before giving him his first lesson _"as much as I love Kaoru, she can't make a meal to save her life." _ Kaoru did have a habit of burning food, even if her intentions were good.

Yahiko wondered about his adoptive home, he was appreciative for all that his 'family' did for him. Especially Kaoru, and he didn't want to see her anymore strung out than she was lately. She didn't smile as much, and, if she did it was forced. She thought that she could hide it from him that she was hurting, but he knew her too well. He did the best that he could for her and was currently saving up to buy her a birthday gift. He knew that she spent what little money she earned on the three of them, money that he would slowly pay back, not that she would know. Yahiko worked at the clinic for Megumi in the mornings, cleaning and such. It was a private arrangement between himself and Megumi, no-one else knew of it, and he saved up the money to buy small things for Kaoru that she wouldn't notice. Last week it was the small ribbon that she had 'found' in the bottom of her drawer, the week before it had been a small comb. He thought that possibly Kenshin knew he was giving Kaoru these things as he had caught him outside Kaoru's room after placing the comb in her room, but he had only commented on the weather. _"It was a nice day out for visiting the markets, that it was."_

Yahiko didn't want the others to know he was leaving stuff for Kaoru, they might read more stuff into it than was really there. All the same, it didn't stop him from noticing that the twinkle had gone from her eyes, and the lightness of her steps was no longer there. He could see lines on her face that shouldn't be there and he was worried.

Yahiko turned around to go back into the dojo, to make sure everything was clean for her return, to make sure there were no leakages, to do something whilst he waited.

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"Maybe we should stop for the night Kenshin, I think it's getting worse" Sano was walking with his head held at an angle so that the rain didn't pour into his face underneath the hat. He and Kenshin had managed to save a man whose leg had been caught under a tree. The man had given them both a hat and a coat to keep the rain off as a way of thanks. They really knew how to pick those they happened to come across in their travels.

"If it seems to be getting worse, perhaps it is best that we keep going. Yahiko and Kaoru may need some help with the storm. We are not too far from home, that we are not"

Sano looked down at his friend, even though the hat hid his face from view, he could sense that his friend was worried about something.

Home? Since when had Kenshin referred to the dojo as home? Sano didn't want to pressure Kenshin at the moment, he had a feeling that if he brought it up, the short red-head would deny ever saying it.

"Oi! Kenshin, they'll be alright. Don't worry, Jou-chan can't get up to that much mischief in two weeks. At least I don't think she can. Yahiko on the other hand…" The little brat had been sneaking off during the day before they had left and he hoped that he knew what he was doing. He prayed that he had not mixed himself up with any of the Yakuza that he had previously been associated with. It would break Jou-chan's heart, not that it needed much to be broken in the first place. If that brat did anything to hurt Kaoru, he would get it.

"_Sanosuke, don't do anything too stupid while you're away, ok?" _ She had smiled at him, telling him that she worried about him, and he was grateful for it. Kaoru was the one who kept their mismatched family together. Although he teased her mercilessly, he only did it because he cared. He frowned, since when had he actually thought about how much he cared for Jou-chan? Kenshin was right though, it was better for them to get home, if only to check on them and to check to see how they were surviving the storm. Also, if they got home early enough, maybe Kenshin would cook them a late dinner…

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The rain had slowly increased in intensity as they walked to Tokyo, each footstep seemingly muddier than the last. The storm had suddenly descended upon them as they were a couple hours out of town, there had been hail and thunder and the man they had saved earlier had said it was the worst storm they had seen in 30 years.

"_Kenshin?" She had asked as he turned to leave, "Don't be gone too long…"_ He had already been gone two weeks. Two weeks too long, in his opinion.

He missed her. He hadn't yet figured out what his feelings for Kaoru meant to him. A part of him wanted to see her smile for him, and for that smile to never waver, but the other part wanted to study every aspect of her face, not wanting to miss anything.

Her face had started to drop, and she was tired a lot of the time. She had started to mask her tiredness with a cheeriness that he knew to be forced. Her smile, which used to be full of vigour was flat and no longer reached her eyes.

He heard Sano grunt beside him, he knew the other man was weary, they had been walking all day, non-stop since lunch time. He had decided that the quickest way to get home was by foot, and, with Sano's aversion to trains, it was probably the most reasonable. As it turned out, the rail-tracks had been shut down due to the storm, so they were further ahead then they would have been if they had taken the train.

Kenshin's thoughts returned once again to the raven haired kendo instructor. He knew that she worked hard to earn enough for them to eat, working tirelessly at the nearby dojos. He had given Yahiko the task of looking out for Kaoru while he was away, but there was only so much that the young aspiring samurai could do. _"Kenshin, on my honour, I will do my best to look after Kaoru." _Kenshin knew that he worked at both the Akabeko and the clinic for Megumi and spent what little he earned on Kaoru. The young boy dedicated himself to learning kendo and looking after Kaoru while pretending otherwise. Yahiko was cleverer than others had anticipated, and helped out whenever he could.

Sano had also started pitching in. He still gambled, but the money he won, he put aside for Kaoru and food for the inhabitants for the dojo. Instead of showing up empty handed for dinner, he occasionally brought food with him. It was his way of showing that he cared, subconsciously though, because Kenshin had a feeling that Sano hadn't realised what he was doing.

The red head frowned at the distance between himself and the dojo. If he ran he could make it within the hour, but he didn't want to leave Sano behind.

He was worried, something felt wrong, but he couldn't do anything about it. It was probably the rain and the dangers of flooding that were on his mind.

"Sano, do you think we could pick up the pace? It would be better if we could get there quicker, that it would."

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**A/N**: Hit the blue review button... You know you want to...  



	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **This chapter was hard to write. Who knew that writing action sequences were so hard? You can plan them easily in your head, but once you go to put it in words on a screen it suddenly gets all muddled. My apologies to anyone who may get slightly confused with this chapter. If it's too confusing, write a review, and maybe if the majority don't understand, I'll do a re-write.

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Kaoru kept trudging through the muddy water that had now crept up to her ankles. Normally to get home from the Akabeko it took 20 minutes. She had been struggling through the streets for what seemed to be an eternity. She had to get home, Yahiko would be worried, and she had said she would be back in time for dinner. As she ground her teeth, she knew it was way past that time. She didn't want Yahiko to get worried enough so that he would come out to find her, so she battled forward in her ever growing struggle against nature.

She thought of a certain red-headed wanderer as she pushed her way through the murky street. Mou! Kenshin! Why did he have to be so thick? Did he not realise the affection she held for him. It was though he could not see through those too long bangs that covered his eyes. Or maybe he kept them long so that she didn't know what he was thinking. The night before he left she had asked him if he had wanted to cut them for him. _"Sessha does not want to worry Kaoru-dono, that he does not. Sessha can see perfectly fine, that he can." _His voice was soft, but his touch on her hand as she lifted his bangs belied his voice.

A gust of wind nearly pushed Kaoru off her feet and she winced in pain. She had almost lost feelings in her fingers when she sensed she was no longer alone. There was a tingling sensation that crept up her back as she scanned the little area she could see through the rain. Through the down pour she could see three figures emerge, faces blurred, but their intention clear.

"Nice day out for a little walk, don't you think?" One leered to her. His voice sounded like the grounding of stone on stone. This was obviously so not my day, Kaoru thought as she reached behind her to where he bokken was slung.

"If you think that it's a nice day, then maybe you should go to the clinic and get your head checked." Her temper always seemed to get the better of her, no matter how hard she tired.

"Come now, that's not a very lady-like thing to say." Another called out, he was almost as tall as Sano. Kaoru grasped the handle of her bokken, making sure that her movements were hidden in the rain.

"Well, maybe you should go and find a proper lady to entertain yourselves with." The connotations of what she had said made her feel slightly sick. But then again, three against one was never fair. If only Kenshin were here, he would be able to handle them in an instant. Instead of brute force, agility and the amazing power of speed, she would have to use tactics in order to keep herself safe.

"Why go searching when we have one just at our feet?" The last man slurred. At least one of the men were drunk, this would work in her favour. She pulled the bokken out from behind her and swung it in front of her.

"I think you should let me pass and you go along your own way." She announced in a deadpan voice. She was tired, wet and her ankle hurt like anything.

"I don't think that we will." The first two men rushed at her, their feet making splashing noises in the muddy water. The rain fell clouding her vision, using her sight in this fight would disadvantage her, she would have to rely on her instincts.

She side stepped the tall man who tired to grab at her hakama and twirling around her bokken landed on the second man with a wet thud. A soft grunt escaped the man as he drew back. Pivoting on her left foot she swept the bokken up, catching the taller man under his chin, his teeth making a sharp sound as they met.

Technically speaking, she was no longer using Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, it was an adapted form, combining her own strengths with kendo. It was no longer the sword that protected innocents, it was a sword that protected her.

Kaoru cried out as one of the men had managed to grab onto her hair, she whirled around, eyes ablaze and hit the man in the stomach. Her ankle gave a sharp flash of protest and she gasped at the pain as the taller man descended upon her.

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Yahiko had now moved on from his thoughts of cleaning the dojo and the house because there was nothing left to clean. During his worry before dinner he had managed quite a lot, so now he was doing a room by room inspection for leaks. At least, that was what he told himself, an excuse for investigating the nooks and crannies of the household. After checking the dojo and his room, he walked to Kaoru's room and rolled opened the shoji door. Her room was intact and neat as always, not making any comment about her explosive manner, just suggesting a proper maiden lived there.

Yahiko sighed and stalked around the room once, he had already managed to hide a small money purse underneath a couple of kimono obi's. He knew that Kaoru would be pleased, and she would find a small amount of money in there, so she wouldn't be too worried about buying them food this week. He checked the roof for any signs of damp spots and then walked out.

His next port of call was Kenshin's room. Normally he would steer clear of it, the rurouni preferred to clean his own room, _"sessha does not want to bother Yahiko with his mess, that he does not."_ It was devoid of anything, really. An empty room with a rolled up futon in the middle, no pictures or scrolls like Kaoru's and no drawings from Ayame and Suzume's like his. Just an empty space. Yahiko crept quietly around the room, not wanting to disturb even a piece of dirt and he checked the ceiling for any signs of dampness. Yahiko exited the room almost as quietly as he had entered and closed the shoji with a small snap.

He turned and resumed his way down the hall, making sure that he kept an eye on the font gate in case Kaoru stumbled through it. It had remained resolutely shut as he made his way to the guest room, a.k.a Sano's room and Yahiko pulled open the shoji door. The room was just as he had left it that afternoon. It wasn't how Sano had left it though. When he had first reached it, it was almost like a tornado had swept through the building. Paper was strewn across the floor and his futon was a mess. The only thing Yahiko had not touched were the walls. They had scrolls and drawings on them. Yahiko wasn't sure if Sano had drawn them himself, or just bought them. He noticed a couple from Ayame and Suzume, as they were similar to his own, but there were also ones of the occupants of the dojo in all their likeness. It was amazing. Yahiko had tided the floor, putting the paper in a neat pile on top of the futon and had left everything else alone. It was one thing to clean, it was different all together to go through another guy's stuff.

After checking all the rooms' ceilings were clear of damp spots, he went to the kitchen. His hand-made dinner was sitting where he left it on the table. He was proud that he had made something for Kaoru that she could clearly see was from him. He wished he knew where she was and hoped that she was alright.

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Sano felt his stomach grumble and he put his foot back into the mud. The rain beat against his hat and coat as he cursed for what seemed the hundredth time. He had picked up the pace like Kenshin had suggested, reasoning, the quicker he got home, the quicker he could be out of the rain and be filling his stomach with wondrous food. With that thought in mind, he once again lengthened his stride, making sure that his friend was able to keep up.

Who was he kidding? Kenshin was probably accommodating his stride to fit with mine. The ex-fighter for hire cursed again, he was slowing Kenshin down, if anything. He knew how much he had wanted to return home as soon as they had left it. Sano felt a small feeling in his stomach that he couldn't quite pass off as hunger, maybe he was coming down with the flu. Just his luck, but then again, he could visit Megumi. With that thought settled he quite happily strode into the downpour.

At least, until he worked out that Kenshin had noted something, his aura was changing and Sano could feel it.

"Kenshin? What is it?" He voiced his troubles, not knowing what kind of response he would receive. A low voice returned an answer that was not quite Kenshin's.

"I don't know Sano, something doesn't feel right." Sano immediately picked up on the change in his small friend's speech matter but decided not to react on it. If it was something that concerned Jou-chan, then he should be worried. With all her caring nature, she didn't seem to understand that there were truly evil people in this world. Sure, she understood the Shishio incident, but she couldn't fathom that people could be evil because they could. _"Sano, all things happen because they are a reaction of something else, surely you understand that?"_ The girl was truly too soft for her own good. It just made protecting her that little bit easier.

"Jou-chan can look after herself if it comes down to that, you know that, ne Kenshin?" Sano was concerned for her, sure, but he knew that she could pack one hell of a punch.

"It shouldn't have to come down to that _Sano_." Was the growled response.

Sano quickly glanced at his friend to see him practically stalking across the muddy landscape. He knew that protecting Kaoru was the most important aspect of the man's life, although he hadn't said anything, it came as a given that, if she was hurt, those who had inflicted the pain were in trouble. Big trouble, judging by the anger that was shimmering off his friend's small frame.

Sano took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, a technique that Anji had once taught him, calming his thoughts and those around him. He had been practicing before they had left, it had allowed him to think clearer and, more importantly, focus on the roll of the dice. It also did wonders for his relationship with Megumi, instead of insulting her back when she called him names (like baka-tori), he just smiled and he knew that it confused the hell out of her. Focusing on his breathing and not his surroundings meant that he was able to quicken his pace without the worries of the brutality of nature get to him, leaving a somewhat stunned ex-hitokiri in his wake.

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"Nani?" Kenshin blinked and stared at the tall man who had once more picked up speed and was currently putting distance between them. The calming ki that Sano had emitted was like a tidal wave crashing down upon him, the anger that had been raging inside of him dispersed for the time being. He wondered where he had learnt that technique, and, if he had purposefully used it. Sano would one day be a very mighty opponent, once he had full knowledge of his abilities.

Kenshin increased the speed of his space to catch up with Sano, who had made quite a distance during the time he had been quietly musing to himself. He could see a light haze in the distance through the rain that could only be Tokyo, he understood that it would take longer to get to the dojo in these conditions, but he hated the feeling that was welling inside of him.

He thought of her smile, how she could ultimately brighten the room with her presence, the way she was so unaware of her own beauty. She was so innocent, and he was so tainted. She had taken three strange males into her heart, and if he hadn't been one of them, he knew he would think it odd. For a young female in Tokyo, it just wasn't done, but he was grateful for all she did for them, accepting them into her home and her heart with little or no thought of their pasts.

He looked down at the ground beneath him, noting that the mud was getting deeper with the onslaught of rain. He hoped that Yahiko and Kaoru knew better than to be out in a storm like this. Still, he knew that they could both look after themselves when he wasn't there, Yahiko would know to look for damp spots in the ceilings and to make sure that if there were to move the objects out of the room.

As he strode through the muddy terrain Kenshin knew something was wrong, everything was blanketed in the heavy rain and he could barely see anything clearly, everything turning into a blurry landscape. The darkness surrounded them as an extra barrier they had to see though. Although he could barely see Sano's face, from what he could tell, it was frowning. It was good that the younger man was beginning to pick up ki signals.

"Yo, Kenshin, I think I'd rather get back to the dojo sooner rather than later. What do ya say?"

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A quick q, what do you think of Sano's character? Is he too perceptive? I'm not sure about how I've portrayed him... 

Thank you to all of those who have read the opening chapter to Adverse Situations, and special thanks to my reviewers:

**Mihoshi Shinryoku** - I hope this chapter is what you had anticipated and that it was worth the wait.

**Arwey**- Thanks, and rather than moaning about the fact that she's unappreciated, she just keeps on giving. I wish I was like her! I think by making Yahiko more aware of the situation around him, it makes his character more three-dimensional. But, that's just me, I guess it depends on the person.

**Unicornfan**- Is this an okay fight scene for you? It proves (sort of) that she can fight back on her own WITH an injury. Yay! Girl power... and all that jazz. I'm hoping that I can possibly tweak her character a little to make her seem more of a daunting person. I'm not sure how that would work though.

**skenshingumi**- Although they're in character at the moment, I'm hoping to change each character to what I percieve them as, for the purposes of the story. I'm glad you like the opening and I hope that you'll still enjoy it with the changes that I make.

**sprout-angel**- I like the fact that Kaoru is what keeps the mismatched family together. Although when you give and recieve nothing in return for so long, there is only so much that you can do. Hence, the story.

I would just like to apologise if I sometimes don't make sense. I try to but sometimes I get myself all confused. 


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** So, with this delightful little chapter I encountered many a problem. I'm thinking that maybe I should begin to cut down the point's of view, or at least limit them to one character's point of view each chapter.

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Kaoru spun, her bokken making a graceful arc that he father would be proud of. Her left leg swept the man off his feet while the bokken came crashing down upon his head. The drunken man then decided to join in the fray. Kaoru used the momentum of her body to twist around and avoid the punch that was sent her way, her bokken aimed at his outstretched arm. 

Suddenly someone grabbed her from behind, arms encircling her, and she almost dropped her bokken. She felt the impact of the punch that she had been unable to deflect but then focused on the arms around her. She had practiced mercilessly for an attack like this.

Lifting her arms both at the same time, making sure to not bend her elbows and keep her weight centred, she quickly spun into her attacker, elbowing him in the solar plexus and then using the handle of her bokken to hit his groin. The vice-like grip let go and a grunt of pain was emitted behind her.

"That was for attacking me." Kaoru announced, her teeth gritted, she spun and graced him with a round-house kick that rendered him unconscious.

"That was for pulling my hair." One man down, two to go. Her right ankle had begun to throb, but she paid no heed to it.

The drunken man came at her again, his speed hampered by his intoxication. Her speed quickened as she leapt up and the bokken came crashing down upon his right arm.

"That was for insulting me." She swept her leg up to kick his torso, using her bokken as a balance to keep her steady. She took note that the taller man was moving from his place in the mud and sent another kick in the drunken man's direction.

"That was for punching me." She side stepped an outlandish punch on his part, parried with the back swing of her bokken and then hit him solidly on the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious.

"That was for making my day worse." She told the now limp drunken figure. Her nose crinkled in distaste. The tall man had stood up and was leering at her. Blood was dripping from his nose as he reached up and wiped it with his sleeve.

"You prove to be a lot of trouble for us, little one, perhaps I should teach you your place!" He ran at her, her instincts jarring her into action. He had a small dagger and had swiped at where she had been standing. Sliding in the mud, she trained her body and swung her bokken in the opposite direction, balancing her, yet leaving her left side open to attack.

The man's eyes lit up as he once again charged at her swinging the dagger like a mad-man, he managed to inflict a small wound on her arm before she had swung her bokken into action. Whirling around she caught his left knee unguarded and drove into its side. The man let out an enraged yell as his leg collapsed underneath him.

"That was for ripping my gi." She rapped his wrist with her bokken. She aimed another strike at his mid-torso making him cry out again. He swung wide with the dagger, this time catching her thigh, making her let out an anguished yell. She swung the bokken around and sent the dagger flying into the distance, she used the backswing to connect with his leg that had been aimed at her stomach.

"That was for making me bleed." She brought her bokken up again, knocking his arm from flying wildly at her. His movements becoming more desperate as he realised that a mere girl had the upper hand.

"That was for my ankle. And this…" She rose her bokken high over her head, dread etched in the man's eyes at the sight before him.

"This is for my cooking." His face fleetingly shone with confusion before her bokken cracked down upon the back of the man's neck, his face empty as he lost consciousness.

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Standing in the open doorway to the kitchen, Yahiko shook himself from recalling the past. He remembered how he had pinched Kenshin's money pouch and then was tackled by Kaoru for taking it. She was a good person, which was why he couldn't understand why she was so unhappy all of a sudden. Well, it wasn't all of a sudden, she had been slowly getting more and more tired the past couple of weeks.

He had tried asking her what was wrong and all she had done was bonk him lightly over the head with a carrot and say _"Mou! Yahiko, nothing is wrong. Here, take this, it's supposed to help you see better at night"_ and handed him the offending weapon. For someone who was known to explode at him for getting a style of swing wrong and then whacking the daylights out of him, handing him a carrot wasn't like her.

Not that Yahiko didn't mind not getting bashed with the carrot, it's just that the fight that he so looked forward to was gone. His comments no longer seemed to rise any arguments from her, only a sigh and a gentle rebuke _"Yahiko, you shouldn't say things that you don't mean." _He saw her as an older sister who constantly looked after him, not that neither he nor she would admit to it.

When he went to work for Megumi, he noticed a small change in her demeanour but it wasn't as dramatic as Kaoru's. The doctor no longer harassed the young kendo instructor as she once did and had become somewhat philosophical. He had tried to broach the subject of Kaoru with Megumi a while ago, only to have her go on a random tangent. _"Most people give and receive in a continual exchange, much like the tide, Yahiko. There are also some people who give without receiving anything in return which can upset the balance."_ She had sighed then and went quietly back to her office to tend to the frail looking woman who looked through the door of the clinic. He didn't really understand all the tide stuff Megumi was going on about, but he knew a hint when he heard one.

He had originally started working for Megumi because he had wanted to save up for when he wanted to travel around Japan, but paying Kaoru back seemed a much better idea.

Yahiko sighed at the dinner that was probably on its way to getting very cold and at risk of not getting eaten. His eyes roved around the room that was clearly Kenshin's domain. He couldn't imagine what it would have been like before Kenshin had arrived. Kaoru probably poisoned herself with her own cooking.

From what he had gathered from his many sources, namely Tae and Dr Genzai, she had lived a fairly lonely life, her students being her main priority after her father's death. She had spent her time between her friends Dr Genzai and his family and Tae, her students and dodging the men who kept asking for her hand in marriage saying that they would make an honest woman of her.

Yahiko frowned. Kaoru was already honest enough, and he made sure that when they went out together he outstared the men who looked after her in her kimonos, her hair swishing slightly behind her back as she walked. Yahiko also knew that his actions were replicated by both Sano and Kenshin, or rather, his was a replication of theirs.

With a small scow Yahiko turned his back on the kitchen and walked out to the porch. Pacing up and down the hallway and staring at the gate was not as efficient as he had hoped, promptly walking into a post due to his distraction. He chose to sit on the porch which enabled him a view of the gate and waited for Kaoru to return.

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If he had to walk longer than an hour more in this horrible weather, he was going to sit in the mud and drown himself. Sano was beginning to get a distinct dislike for all things wet and liquidy. Although, he pondered, a little sake wouldn't kill him. He stole a glance down at his now very quiet friend, not that he was speaking before, but he had seemed somewhat subdued for the better half of an hour.

He sensed that underneath all his 'subdued-ness' it was a very tense rurouni he was dealing with so that forfeited any conversation that would be remotely distracting and/or meaningless.

The lights of Tokyo were blurry but welcome to his sight in the distance. He could sense a shimmer of relief from the man beside him and he turned to speak to him.

"Sano, do not tell me that everything is fine until we have reached the dojo." The curt tone in Kenshin's voice booked for no argument and Sano immediately shut his mouth opening it a few moments later.

"You know Kenshin, I wouldn't even try to understand what's going on in that head of yours, but I would appreciate it if you didn't try bite my head off." He would never understand the small man, he didn't think it was possible, except for maybe Kaoru, but that was a big maybe. He just didn't let anyone in, he didn't tell people what he was thinking or feeling and people, mainly Kaoru, struggled in an effort to keep them all happy and stop them from killing each other.

Sure, the flashy eye colour change was a good indication if he was furious, but they hardly saw any of it. And if he felt particularly emotional, not that Sano would know, he could only guess, Kenshin would either hide behind his bangs or excuse himself to go and do the laundry.

"For kami's sake! Who does the laundry to hide emotion!" he thought exasperatedly. It was only when he heard an angry growl from beside him that he realised he had spoken aloud.

"Not that that's a bad thing." He added hastily. His big mouth was going to get him in major trouble someday.

"_Sanosuke, perhaps you ought to think before you open your mouth, ne_?" Kaoru's blue eyes had sparkled in merriment at his expense, her hand outstretched to help him to his feet, after finding himself on the floor subsequent to an attack by a certain fox.

He missed Kaoru's playful banter with Yahiko, he realised with a start. When had that stopped? He didn't know but the kid seemed to miss it, only calling her 'busu' every now and then. When had things changed so dramatically?

Some things were going to straighten out once he got to the dojo, starting with the red-head beside him.

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When they entered the outskirts of Tokyo, he felt a slight ease in the tension, knowing that if anything had happened he was within reach of the dojo and its occupants. He still had a sense of unease as they made their way through the city, the dojo being the only destination for both men. The ground was murky and cold and anyone who was unlucky enough to be caught in the storm seemed to be heading towards the central district.

Beside him, he heard Sano curse softly, regaining his balance from tripping over something covered by the mud.

Kenshin practically growled when someone tugged on his coat. He turned to see a man with a heavily pregnant woman to his side.

"Please, sir, do you know where we may find shelter?" He sounded desperate, his eyes pleading. Kenshin's gaze shifted to the woman, she was shivering from what seemed to be a combination of the cold and rain. Sano had also stopped, only he had a saddened expression that was almost thoughtful.

"Tae may have kept open the Akabeko, Kenshin. It's probably best to send them there." Sano had spoken for him, saving the poor people from a possible verbal attack. Kenshin, in the mean time, had shrugged off his coat and gave it to the woman who, in turn, stared at him.

"Oh, I couldn't." She looked stricken at the thought of putting him out of his comfort.

"I insist." He rasped at the woman, also giving her his hat.

"The Akabeko is where you should head to." Agreeing with Sano was probably the best thing to do. Sano gave the man his coat and hat and the directions to the Akabeko, which was on the other side of town and they continued to battle through the muddy water that was running down the slightly inclined road towards them.

"Kami, what did I do to deserve this?" Moaned the taller man, running a hand through his flattened hair, which, it seemed, had not been able to defy gravity any longer.

They made it to the dojo gates without being interrupted, although the ki that he was emitting probably frightened anyone away.

Yahiko was sitting forlornly on the porch staring out at the gate as they emerged out of the torrential downpour, the taller man slowing down and stepping behind the smaller one to get through the gate. The boy had stared at them for the briefest time before quickly standing and calling out to them, frowning as he looked at their drenched state of attire.

"Kenshin! Sano! Why are you guys here? We weren't expecting you back so soon. Kaoru said you would be gone at least three weeks-"

As the boy was talking Kenshin stalked his way across to where the boy was standing, not wanting the boy to do something as stupid as to run out to greet them.

"See, Kenshin, nothing to worry about." Sano had announced wearily, interrupting Yahiko. He looked pale as he reached the porch and sat down heavily causing the boy to yelp as the water pooled around Sano and very close to Yahiko's feet. Letting what seemed to be exhaustion, take over as he slumped back on the floor.

"Where is Kaoru, Yahiko?" Golden eyes flashed as the rurouni asked sharply, taking in the boy's worried expression.

"That's just it, she hasn't come home yet."

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**A/N:**DUM DUM DUUUUUMMM! What will happen next? 

I'm not exactly happy with the way that I wrote Kenshin's pov, but I had to get them to the dojo in order for the next chapter to work. I hope that you liked it though! Thanks for reading my story!

On a completely different note, can someone please explain to me what a beta-reader is, and if I'm supposed to have one?

Reviewer thanks:

**Arwey** - Thank you, and I rather like to see her face adversity with a positive outcome without her having to rely on the guys. I feel somewhat annoyed when the guys get all the fights. I hadn't read Hakama Dake, but thanks for mentioning it, it's brilliant! I feel kind of embarrassed that the cutting of the fringe in my story is so similar now. As for the pictures, I have a special use for them that I shall reveal sometime later on...

**Brittanie Love** - Thanks for the vote of confidence!

**arubabu** - Thank you, I hope that this fighting sequence was as easy to understand as the last one. 20 chapters is quite impressive!

**malencia** - Thanks, although I think I need some character development on Kenshin, although in later chapters I have a lot planned for our dear rurouni...

**Annabella5** - Thank you, I'm glad you find it exciting, here's hoping that you find this chapter was much like the previous one.

**Pirotessa** - Thanks, I rather like writing Kaoru as one in a certain type of power, it's much more fun than writing her as a weak little girl who always relies on the guys.

**Sailor Otaku** - Thank you, I see Sano as a big brother also... I like the fact that he acts so hard core, but he's a big softie on the inside.

**skenshingumi** - Thanks and I hope that you don't judge Kenshin on this chapter! I hope that you wait for the Kenshin and Kaoru interaction before you fully pass your judgement on.

**Mihoshi Shinryoku** - Thank you and I hope that this chapter works out the way that you hoped.

If anyone has any thought about the story, please, don't hesitate to review! Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Apologies for the short chapter! I just found out my schedule has changed and so I didn't get much time to write up this chapter as long as I had wanted to. I'm also going to change the day that I submit due to the change so it will allow me more time to write a more detailed chapter. Hope you enjoy regardless!

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The young woman stood there in the rain leaning heavily on her bokken and trying to catch her breath back. Surrounded by three unconscious men, any passers by would think that the legendary hitokiri battousai from the revolution had come and taken out the three men to save the woman and then disappeared, because no mere woman could do this on her own. However, Kaoru Kamiya knew better than that and luckily for her there was no-one around to interrogate her.

After the fight she had collapsed somewhat only to find herself sitting in an overly large puddle of water. The rain beat against her body and her clothes stuck to her like a second skin. Unfortunately for her, because it meant that the baggy clothes she hid behind now enhanced her very feminine frame. Not that anybody who she wanted to notice would, namely a very slow-on-the-uptake-rurouni called Kenshin.

Her ankle was in pain and looked about twice the size than normal, the cuts which had burned in pain had numbed due to the drumming of the rain on her body.

Shaking her head she untucked her gi and tore strips of material using the dagger that one of the men had lunged at her with.

With difficulty she rolled each of the men over in the mud and bound their hands behind their backs before pushing them into a sitting position against one of the walls of the alley, making sure that they would not drown face down in the mud, not that they wouldn't deserve it, but Kaoru would not want the deaths of three men on her conscious.

Panting due to the heaviness of the men combined with her injuries, she leant against the wall feeling the soaked wood against her back. Her ripped gi now showed much more skin than it ought to, but she could live with that. She had one other gi left, the dark blue gi her father had given her before he had died, telling her _'One day hime-chan, you will be known as the rose of the sword.'_ A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek as she remembered that day. She would not cry, she was stronger now and had people relying on her, she had a duty to take care of her family, even if it killed her in the process.

Yahiko was growing, as every young boy should. He was getting better at handling a bokken, taking care to learn whatever technique she had thrown at him. His balance was better since the day she had made him stand for hours on one foot on an upturned bucket.

She had made sure he was in the shade, and was careful that if he fell there was nothing that could harm him if he had landed upon it. He was lucky it had not been an unbalanced rock like she had learned on, although that would come later. He had called her 'busu' and other things along that line many times that day but would almost lose his balance in his temper. He had realised that distracting himself meant that his body would unbalance thus making it so that his other leg and his bokken arm would shoot out at different directions to stay on the bucket. Sano had stayed watching the boy with a mixed expression of amusement and wonder. '_Jou-chan, how can you do that to Yahiko-chan?'_

Then he had laughed as the boy almost lost balance yet again _'Don't call me LITTLE!'_

Yahiko had become pretty obedient when it came to his lessons, only stepping down from the bucket when she had told him it was long enough, however, when he wasn't doing anything related to kendo, he was a lose cannon.

Kaoru pushed off the wall and used her bokken as a crutch to help her walk. She wasn't that far from the dojo, but with the pain in her ankle she was sure it would take forever to get there.

Part of her had wanted to stay encapsulated in the puddle and drown in her own misfortune and misery. The logical part of her had made her climb slowly to her feet, Yahiko would be waiting for her at home. She prayed that the boy would be smart enough to stay in the safety of their home, making sure that there were no leakages. If he had ventured out into the storm, she wouldn't know what to do. Probably go crazy with worry and then go out looking for him.

Mou! Her boys didn't know how to look after themselves properly.

She staggered through the rain, her ankle impeding her every second step.

Although she had spent a long time living by herself before Kenshin, Yahiko and Sano had arrived, she couldn't bear it if they all left her. She knew that one day, one by one, they would all leave and she would be alone again, but she hoped that was a long time away.

Yahiko was beginning to mature in a way that she knew that she would never keep up with. He had his job at the Akabeko and knew that he was saving up to go and travel once he had completed his training, which, thankfully, was going to be a while yet.

Sano, she knew, was chasing after a particular lady doctor who used every chance she had to insult him. Deep down, Kaoru knew that they cared for each other, but were too stubborn to admit it. One day they would settle down and she would no longer have the older brother figure she had grown to love hanging around.

Her face seemed to twist wistfully in the rain. What would become of Kenshin? She briefly had an image of a couple of children running around the dojo with red hair, but then shook her head in disgust. He would most probably get the urge to go out and wander again. She knew he was starting to get somewhat antsy and fidgety and had practically jumped at the chance to leave the dojo whenever he could, preferably without her.

Her face turned into a scowl and if looks could kill the mud around her, it would have been turned to stone. She turned into the street on which her dojo was situated. The cut on her thigh throbbed suddenly and she gave out a startled yelp. What on earth had gotten into those men that they decided to attack her? Her ankle began to protest with the amount of weight she had put on it. She swapped the grip on her bokken to allow it to take more of her weight.

Wasn't she already tortured enough in this life? Anger so blindingly began to attack upon her weakened state. Did she look like she was an easy target? Sure, she kept an ex-fighter for hire and an ex-hitokiri in her home, but that didn't mean she was useless! She was never included in fights that even Yahiko seem to be able to join. She was _just a woman_, what did she have to contribute!

She fumbled in the rain at the lock on the gate, growling at it and finally turning it only to come face to face with a golden eyed hitokiri.

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Yahiko had finished explaining the day's events and had ended with "Kaoru was supposed to have returned hours ago. Kenshin, she said that she would be home in time for dinner…" His young face turned to him in utter hopelessness. "I couldn't go out searching for her because what if she had returned and then she would have gone out looking for me." Yahiko had latched onto his wet gi sometime during his speech, the anguish in his eyes speaking volumes.

"Yahiko, we will find Kaoru." He felt the boy's grip on his gi slacken at that statement but he was momentarily distracted. He had sensed an angry ki that was approaching them and heading straight for their gate. Turning at once and heading back into the rain, he heard Yahiko's yelp of surprise.

"Kenshin! What-"

The rain was little cold comfort for his body as he waited for the gate to open. The ki was strongly emitting a powerful wave of anger and the lock turned and the gate was finally pushed open.

He came face to face with an angry expression that turned to shock almost at once. His eyes clashed with an oceanic blue that he felt that he could drown in for days. He heard a startled gasp.

"Ken…shin?" Her voice was painfully soft but the anger that emanated from her earlier still clung to the syllables of his name. Her voice had always evoked some sort of response from his rurouni-focused mindset; however the rurouni part of him was firmly tucked in the back of his mind as his golden gaze took in her dishevelled appearance.

Her gi was torn and bloody, as were her hakama. She was drenched and her clothing stuck to every curve of her body and her hair was plastered to her head. Her bokken was gripped in her hand and was being used as a sort of crutch to support her weight. He then took into account her injuries from top to toe, her cheek was bruised and bloody, one of her arms had been wrapped to stop some sort of bleeding, as was one of her thighs and her ankle seemed to be almost twice its usual size.

"Kaoru." She had been staring at him while he had been seizing her up and were now pointedly staring into his eyes. His voice had changed into a deep baritone, instead of the light tenor he used as a rurouni.

It was her ki that he had sensed and now he could understand why she was so angry.

His anger spiked as he thought of whoever had done this to Kaoru, _his_ Kaoru.

She sighed almost as if she could feel his anger but then pushed him aside and staggered past him. He growled in response and seeing her struggle picked her up, locking the gate and carried her bridal style to the porch where Yahiko and Sano were standing waiting with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Yahiko, go heat the water in the bath. Sanosuke, the medical supplies." His voice was commanding and the others hastened to do his bidding.

"Kenshin, put me down. Now." The surprise of his movements had surprised her into submission, but now she was fighting back, her anger returning.

"Not now Kaoru, you're injured. You could barely walk." He frowned down at her, she was too pale and too light.

"Kenshin, if you don't put me down right now, I swear I'll-" Kaoru demanded once again, this time poking him in the chest emphasizing what she wanted him to do.

"You'll what Kaoru? Do tell, what will you do?" He murmured whilst staring into her eyes, a smirk playing across his face.

He did not want to let her go, he knew that much, and he didn't just mean physically.

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**A/N**: So, what do you think? Too short? To abrupt? I don't really know how I feel about this chapter, I think I liked the previous chapters for their insight, but I had to get the plot moving somehow! Anyway, review with your critique! Please, it's the only way that I know if you're enjoying the story or not. Thanks! 

Oh, with the 'rose of the sword' comment, I think it's something else, but I can't really remember. The rose of Kendo didn't really have the same ring to it...

Don't worry, Kaoru won't turn into the submissive character that we all know too well. She'll kick back!

Thanks to everyone who reads my fanfic!

**Reviewer thanks**:

I would just like to thank all those who continue to write up reviews and show their support by doing so. Hugs for everyone!

**Crazy fanfic lover**- You're very enthusiastic, I hope that you liked this chapter.

**Brittanie Love**- Thank you.

**Arwey**- I think I would trade places with Sano any day sigh Yeah, being treated like Kaoru would suck, what do you think she would do as pay back?

**Duchess FBC**- Thank you, I think that she should've kicked more ass in the anime, especially because she's stronger than Yahiko. And they really only gave her one good fighting scene...

**Sailor Otaku**- Thanks, I'm really like the way that Sano is coming across, I think I've said so before… I'm trying to make Yahiko more mature than he really is so that I can put more emphasis on the under-appreciative-ness of Kaoru's character... I hope it's working.

**Skenshingum**i- Thank you so much. You put so much thought into your reviews and I am very grateful for your criticism. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. And thanks for pointing out the 'Kyoto'. That's me being too lazy to re-read something before I post. Apologies for my faux pas! Thank you so much for your ongoing support.

**IkibanMythic**- Thanks, very much appreciated.

**Kiorru-dono**- I'm going to write as much as I can with this story. Thank you for your enthusiasm.

**Arubabu**- Thanks. I confused myself a little with the fight scene, but I think it worked itself out. I literally sat there for days trying to figure out how I was going to injure Kaoru and which side, because if your opponent is right handed, the majority of your injuries will be on your left and vice versa :S That took a while and someone else to help me figure that out...

**Mihoshi Shinryoku**- Thank you, I hope that you continue to enjoy my fanfic!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** So here is the next chapter. Sorry about the wait, although, good things come to those who wait... Although, if you don't like the chapter then I don't think that the statement really works. throws hands up I don't know. I think I am currently going crazy, so my apologies if I don't make any sense. You know, writing a fanfiction is more liberating than I thought that it would be. There's something to be said by writing something and then posting it up where anyone can read it. I'm really blessed that the reviews that I have recieved have been so positive. Thanks a million. I don't think that I would be able to continue without all your support. I think I feel more at ease with myself knowing that other people are enjoying my imaginative process and hopefully thinking that I am not too crazy.

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Yahiko grabbed onto Kenshin's soaked gi. "I couldn't go out searching for her because what if she had returned and then she would have gone out looking for me." His voice was somewhat broken. He had to understand, it wasn't as if he didn't care about Kaoru, Kenshin would understand. Sano was silent as he sat next to him, for once keeping his thoughts to himself. 

"Yahiko, we will find Kaoru." The young boy's hands that were clutching onto Kenshin's clothing loosened. Did Kenshin just call Kaoru… Kaoru? Wait. Since when did he call her that? He remembered what Sano had said upon entering the dojo as he had flopped onto the porch. The baka-tori didn't understand he had just cleaned that. _'See, Kenshin, nothing to worry about.'_ Kenshin had been worried on his way home. Wait. His eyes…

Kenshin suddenly turned his head and then pulled himself out of the Yahiko's weakened grasp and stalked to the gate. Yahiko had yelped and straightened himself after almost being pulled along with the no longer calm rurouni.

"Kenshin! What-"

Clearly the swordsman that Yahiko looked up to was no longer listening to what he was saying and was intently studying the gate as it slowly opened.

From what Yahiko could see from his position on the porch, Kenshin had stiffened in shock, the person at the gate was being blocked by Kenshin and due to the rain could not hear anything that was happening.

Sano had pulled himself up from his self induced puddle on the porch to watch Kenshin's back as his anger seemed to grow and expand so that Yahiko could feel the fighter's ki.

Yahiko saw as Kenshin's shoulder was pushed backwards and a figure attempted to stumble past him. The figure was drenched and bloody and was using a bokken to keep them standing.

Yahiko jolted in realisation as he finally worked out that it was Kaoru, bruised and bloody.

"Jou-chan..." Sano whispered beside him. He was standing, one of his arms holding onto a post as if to keep him standing from the shock that was the young kendo instructor.

They watched as Kenshin swept her up into his arms, locked the gate behind him and strode towards them, the woman in his arms seemingly weightless as he approached.

"Yahiko, go heat the water in the bath. Sanosuke, the medical supplies." His voice commanded, it was no longer the soft spoken voice of the rurouni, but a deep authority and anger filled voice. Yahiko didn't dare to look up into his eyes as he scrambled to reach the bath house to stock it with more wood for heating. He didn't look back to see if Sano had obeyed Kenshin, but by the way he had spoken, Kenshin booked for no argument from either of them.

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Sano had sat up, which took a lot more effort than he had thought it would. He was exhausted. Keeping up with Kenshin through the treacherous walk back to Tokyo, no less, with nature battling against them at every turn, making sure the shorter man didn't lash out as every unsuspecting person that happened to come across their path, was very tiring to say in the least. He had wanted to get to the dojo, change, eat and be hugged by Jou-chan for coming home so quickly and proudly announcing to her that he had done nothing that she would have considered stupid on their trip. In that order.

Instead, he had returned back to the dojo to find Yahiko almost out of his mind with worry, a missing Jou-chan and a now severely pissed off red-head. How life could be so cruel was beyond him, kami-sama had a lot to answer for now.

Sano turned his head towards Yahiko as the boy was gushing out the details of the day and how Kaoru hadn't returned.

"She said that she would be home in time for dinner…" He felt sorry for the boy, even though he had been sneaking out during the day. He was too young to have the worries that he dealt with now. He didn't know how he would deal with the boy about his mysterious disappearances, but they had to work with the problem with Jou-chan first.

Sano's head turned towards the sudden movement as Yahiko cried out.

"Kenshin! What-"

Sano frowned and he suddenly a wave of anger coming from the dojo gates and it wasn't from Kenshin. He stood up to his full height, towering over Yahiko who stood beside him and leant over to grab onto the wooden post to his left. The angry atmosphere intensified as the dojo gate was opened and was quickly dispelled. He could see a figure behind Kenshin, but the details eluded him although he felt that the person was somehow familiar as Kenshin continued to stand in front of them. Anger once more rushed over the occupants of the dojo but this time Sano knew that Kenshin was the cause.

The figure that Kenshin was standing in front of attempted to push past the now enraged rurouni but stumbled and he swooped to pick them up. Quick realisation swept through him as he realised who the mysterious figure was.

"Jou-chan.." He hadn't realised he had said it aloud, but Yahiko's head whipped towards him his eyes wide. The post in his left hand was lucky that he was so exhausted otherwise it may not have still been standing.

The look on Kenshin's face as he approached was anything but friendly, Kaoru seemed to have been surprised at being bundled into his arms but looked as if she was coming out of the shock as the muscles on her face turned from surprise to a frown.

"Yahiko, go heat the water in the bath. Sanosuke, the medical supplies." Kenshin barked out, sending the poor kid running for the bathhouse, not once looking back. Sano raised his eyebrows at his friend and walked away to find the med pack, not wanting to be there when Kaoru finally worked herself out of the surprise, which wouldn't be long judging by the angry wave of emotion that she was emitting.

As walked away from the two he heard her start to speak.

"Kenshin, put me down. Now." Sano sighed, it would be a long night for all of them. She looked worse for wear, wet and bloody. He was angry, who would do this to her? She was the most kind and considerate person that he knew, too kind and considerate. He clenched his teeth as he rummaged through the supplies. Bandages, antiseptic and towels. The healing balm that Megumi had dropped by a couple weeks ago looked slightly diminished and he wondered what just had been going on.

His fist clenched around the small package. He was going to find out just exactly what had been happening during his absence, and he didn't think that he was going to like it.

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"Not now Kaoru, you're injured. You could barely walk." She looked up at his face as she worked her way through tonight's conversation. He had called her Kaoru, without the honorific she so hated, due to her shock and anger she had overlooked it previously, but from the awkward situation she now found herself in, it was almost impossible not to notice it. However, at this point in time Kaoru was far too angry, far too exhausted, to even contemplate what that meant.

"Kenshin, if you don't put me down right now, I swear I'll-" She prodded him in the chest, emphasising her demand. Didn't he understand that all she wanted to do was have a nice warm bath then go to sleep, preferably for a very long while, but he cut her off.

"You'll what, Kaoru? Do tell, what will you do?" Her eyes had widened quite substantially at his statement. Her hand paused mid poke as she stared into his eyes, comprehension dawning upon her. She opened her mouth to start yelling at him for holding her in such an intimate embrace but all she could manage was a high pitched squeak and a look of possessiveness entered his eyes.

"Kaoru…" He said her name slowly, drawing it out, as she struggled out of his grip. Her anger was returning. Did they all think she was useless? What was it with men lately? Did she look like she was someone who was easily broken? She had managed on her own for five years before Kenshin had turned up. She had struggled, she wasn't going to deny that, but she had been independent and fought hard to achieve what she was today. She didn't need everyone acting as though she couldn't look after herself.

She closed her eyes to keep the internal battle to herself. She knew that Kenshin, Sano and Yahiko wanted to look out for her, but there was a line. Kenshin left to fight his battles by himself, why couldn't she?

"Kenshin, if you do not let me go this instant I will not be responsible for my actions." She said it coldly, memories of the fight that she had earlier filtering into her mind, making her even more angry than before.

He frowned down at her, the possessive look in his eyes changing until she couldn't read any emotion in his gaze at all. Kenshin slowly lowered her down until she was standing, not once moving his gaze from her. His hands had settled on her waist, taking the pressure off her right leg, but letting her stand somewhat. He brought his right hand up to her face and she flinched. Her movements were ignored as he cupped her cheek.

"I have done what you have asked Kaoru. Go and have your bath and then I will tend to your injuries." He spoke to her softly but his voice was deeper than usual, a voice that she could get used to hearing if she wasn't so exhausted. She didn't understand why they couldn't just all leave her alone and just be.

She had briefly seen Yahiko, and, knowing he was safe at the dojo let her worry about him slip as she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. She had been harbouring a fear that he had gone out in the storm to search for her and had been injured. Her fears had now been dealt with and she felt a weight shift off her shoulders. The weight she could have dealt with, it had meant that she had the determination to keep going, now she was safely encumbered in her dojo, she didn't have to entertain anymore worry at this point in time.

She moved off towards the bathhouse stiffly but before she was out of his reach he caught onto her arm gently and she wearily turned her head towards him.

"Know this, Kaoru. I will never let you go."

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He watched her as her eyes widened, her blue eyes showing him the changing emotions that flickered in her mind. Shock glazed her eyes over then realisation seemed to make her eyes widen further and then just as quickly indignation made her eyes flutter and had her emitting a cute little squeak. _Mine_, he thought, she was his and no one else's. He was the one who could read her emotions like a book, it was he that would protect her until the end. She was too innocent, too perfect, too pure, to let anyone else taint her. The ones who were responsible for this reprehensible act were going to pay dearly for causing her this much pain. He would make sure that they knew who they were dealing with.

"Kaoru…" He breathed out slowly, liking the way that her name sounded as he drew it out. He knew that if she weren't injured he would not be holding her like this, but for once he didn't care. He stared down at the angelic form beneath him, her eyes slowly flickering to something else as she heard her name. Her ki suddenly exploded around him, anger as strong as when she had first stumbled through the gates was unleashed. Her eyes darkened in her anger to an almost black as she took a breath and slowly let it out.

"Kenshin, if you do not let me go this instant I will not be responsible for my actions." She announced, her voice suddenly sounding very much like Aoshi's. Kenshin's brow's creased as he gazed into her now dark eyes, the sapphire he was so used to seeing no longer apparent. He didn't let his emotions show as he slowly withdrew from her. He knew that she was dealing with the stress of the events of the day and his sudden actions were probably doing no good for her psychologically or emotionally. He let his mask settle on his face and all emotion that he felt were hidden behind the carefully made façade. He gently lowered her feet to the ground, taking care not to bump her injured ankle as he set her down to the ground. Straightening, he kept his hands on her waist, taking the weight off her injury. Kenshin knew that it was probably the only time he allowed himself this close to Kaoru without her knowledge, the time that he left for Kyoto to defeat Shishio didn't count. He brought his right hand up to her face, wanting to erase some of the pain that he knew resided in her heart. She flinched, but he ignored the action as he caressed her cheek with the palm of his hand.

"I have done what you have asked Kaoru. Go and have your bath and then I will tend to your injuries." He told her in a voice that booked for no argument and watched as she limped away from him towards the bathhouse. He reached out for her arm then and she responded by wearily turning her head to face him.

"Know this, Kaoru. I will never let you go." He let her arm go and she turned and made her way to the bathhouse.

He felt a familiar presence making his way towards him and spoke out.

"Sano it would be best if we took this time to change into drier clothing." He turned away from the moving form of Kaoru, but kept his sense of her ki, making sure that if she were to injure herself again, he would be there for her. The figure of Sano made his way up to Kenshin's side carrying the medical supplies that he had asked for slightly away from his drenched form but his ki was determined and Kenshin let him speak.

"Kenshin, buddy, I know this is not the way you wanted to return, but it would probably be better if you calmed down a little." Sano had not turned towards Kenshin but had said it while watching as Kaoru staggered away, clearly out of ear shot. Kenshin turned his heated gaze toward the taller man, anger coursing through him.

"They will pay for what they have done Sano."

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**A/N:** I would hate to be those guys at this point in time, don't you think? I felt that this was a hard chapter to write because of the overlapping that was happening but fingers crossed I hope that it worked. Apologies for any typo's or any errors, it's almost one thirty in the morning but I wanted to get out this chapter for you guys. 

Anyway, I have been informed that I can no longer reply to my reviews which absolutely sucks, and that it's a possibility that my stories can be deleted if I keep on doing it. So I'm sorry to all my reviewers that I can no longer write them up. However, if you want me to reply to your reviews I can do so if you have a question or anything that is bothering you about the story.

x a-c grumbles in her own little corner x

Thank you to the following people who reviewed. I love you guys!

**Royal blueKitsune, arubabu, Arwey, Jasmine blossom625, ELLIE 31773, skenshingumi, malencia, saskia2, Reignashii, crazy fanfic lover, Nekotsuki, ClampLover, Sailor Otaku, flaming-amber, lazy reader, Brittanie Love, koneko101**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Hey everyone! It took me a while to get out this chapter the way that I wanted it to be. I hope that you enjoy it, because it will be the last chapter for the next few weeks (hopefully not too long) while I get myself settled into uni life. I've had the last 3 months off, so it will be quite a shock to rejoin the throng of people who continue their studies to become learned people. I hope that you all forgive me, but I didn't think that it would be fair if I wrote half heartedly. I think that the fanfic is going on a bit of the tangent at the moment, so the rest will give me some time to regroup my constructive thoughts and enable me to write a more clear plotline for you guys to follow.

Thank you so much to my loyal reviewers, I'll try and get around to replying to your reviews. I really appreciate what you write, it truly makes a difference.

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A young woman sat in a bath fuming, her temper matching the water she sat in. Decidedly violent thoughts ran through her mind as she imagined the men who had jumped her in the rain and Kenshin in an all out duel. Kenshin would win, of course, she thought, but then he would come home to greet her and she would begin a punishment worthy of being the male that he was. Men! They just didn't understand, did they? She was an independent woman who can look after herself, she didn't need people protecting her every move. A tentative voice interrupted her musings. 

"Kaoru? Is the temperature alright?... It's just that I can go reheat your dinner if you want…" Yahiko. She was truly relived that he was safe. She let out a sigh and her shoulders slumped. Sure, she was angry, but she appreciated the efforts that Yahiko made for her.

As she had staggered to the bathhouse Yahiko's head had popped out from around the corner, cast a worried glance at her, but gave her a quick grin none the less. He mentioned that he was getting quite the expert at getting the temperature just right for her before he nimbly stepped out and helped her the last couple of steps into the bathhouse, and, taking her bokken, he swapped it for a couple of towels that had miraculously appeared out of nowhere. She had smiled when he had done this causing the younger boy to grin and enable him to push her gently into the bathhouse, shutting the shoji door swiftly behind her with a soft click.

She wasn't angry at Yahiko, she didn't think that she could ever be truly angry at Yahiko. The boy had wormed his way into her heart in a way that she couldn't even fathom. He was like a lifeline she didn't know that she needed. It wasn't the same sort that Kenshin provided, but she knew that, without him, Kaoru wouldn't be who she was if he wasn't there.

"Kaoru?" His voice interrupted her musings once more, his voice worried and uneasy.

"Gomen, Yahiko. The temperature is fine. Arigato." Her voice rang out through the window of the bathhouse.

Her thoughts turned once more to the red-headed warrior whom she knew was probably feeling very angry at her threat earlier. It was the first time she had truly meant a threat towards Kenshin. She closed her eyes as she leant back against one of the walls and stared at the ceiling. The small tub that was placed next to the bath was bloody from a quick cleansing of her wounds before she had stepped into the bath, more liked hopped, but who was keeping score? She scowled and shifted slightly, the ankle she had kept out of the water was throbbing, along with the cuts on her arm and leg. Surprisingly she had found another cut on her face but she had no recollection of receiving that particular injury, but she wasn't one to mull over a single injury. The drunken man must have had something in his hand, or hit her harder than she had originally thought. The idea of the three men made her head spin in anger once more and she brought her fists splashing down in the water.

Mou! The very thought of those men even attempting to take advantage of her made her blood boil. Taking deep breaths in an out she calmed her temper down, anger wasn't doing anything to help her injuries. If anything, it was adding stress, causing a strain on her already somewhat weakened state. She concentrated on getting her breathing back to normal and her racing heart to slow down to a normal rate. Slowly she felt herself slipping into an almost dream-like state, the jasmine oil she normally put into her bath calming her, making the events of the evening almost non-existent in her harmonious atmosphere. Her thoughts slowly drifted back to Kenshin. He had said he would never let her go, which basically meant that she was doomed to an eternity of Kenshin's white knight syndrome. She picked up a small cloth and carefully cleansed her face, making sure to not apply so much pressure to the wound on her left side. Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion as she thought of her rurouni and then suddenly dropped the cloth, a startled gasp escaping her lips.

"_Kaoru. I will never let you go."_ It suddenly registered in her mind what she should have noticed and been able to link one to another. He hadn't used any honorific with her name and his eyes… they had been golden.

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Sano watched as Kenshin, once again, stalked away from him. He could only assume that he had gone to change out of his soaked clothing. The rain beat mercilessly down upon the roof of the Kamiya dojo, a noise that would not be mistaken for anything else.

He put the medical supplies down on the porch by the bathhouse as he made his way to his own room, pausing slightly to see if Kaoru had any problems, hearing small splashing sounds, he picked up his pace to get to his room at the end of the hall.

He opened the shoji to find his room neat and tidy, his futon was folded neatly in the centre of the room, and, what seemed to be the scattered papers he had left on the floor on his departure, seemed to be placed in a neat pile on top.

He gazed around the room, his mouth agape. He hadn't expected anyone to actually come into his room whilst he was away, otherwise he would have cleaned up himself. A quick glance around the room made sure that all the drawings on the walls were still intact and a rifle through the papers assured him that nothing was missing.

He let out a small sigh of relief before going to one side of the room and reaching for the chest that held his clothes and extra bandages. His wet gear stuck to him as he pulled off his garments, carefully putting them to one side, making sure not to make miniature puddles throughout his room.

As he was re-wrapping himself with bandages he thought about the balm that Megumi had given them. _"This is very powerful medication, tori-atama, be careful not to waste it." _She had given it to them knowing about the trip that they were going to take, but both he and Kenshin had forgotten to take the small package with them.

Knowing the Kitsune and her healing prowess, this was one strong healing balm, even the smallest application worked wonders. The amount that had been used meant that either the person who was applying it didn't know how much to use, or that they had been using it over a period of time. His thoughts wandered back to Yahiko's tendency to slip out of the dojo for what seemed like hours on end, always when Kaoru was preoccupied with something. Was it possible that he had been using it? He didn't know how he was supposed to respond to this situation.

He grabbed his wet clothing and hung it on the wooden arches over the porch. They would dry quicker that way. He made his way past the rooms, noting that Kenshin's was now empty, his soaked hakama and gi fashioned across the arches in the same way that his clothing was hanging. The door to the bathhouse was still shut, but outside the door was a carefully folded yukata along with a pair of tabi socks. The medical supplies he had dumped outside the door were still there, although they had been rearranged so that anyone who walked past wouldn't trip over them as they made their way around the dojo.

The angry aura that he felt emanating from Kaoru earlier was no longer present, instead a calming wave made its way through the shoji, assuring Sano that Kaoru was no longer pent on throttling anyone in the near vicinity. Realising he was hovering outside the bathhouse, Sano shook himself mentally and made his way to the kitchen where his super sonic food smelling powers told him that food was being prepared.

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Yahiko stirred the soup on the stove, making sure that it didn't go over the sides of the pan. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts on Kaoru that he didn't notice someone else enter the kitchen and come to stand beside him. Only when a hand came out to catch the spoon that he had dropped did it register that Kenshin was standing beside him.

Glancing up at him, his mouth dropped open. He was wearing a dark blue gi and grey hakama, very different from his normal magenta gi. The most notable feature was that his hair was now tied up in a high pony tail at the back of his head.

"Careful, Yahiko, you wouldn't want to spoil Kaoru's dinner." His voice was softer than earlier and Yahiko looked up into his eyes. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw purple swirling with gold.

"Gomen, Kenshin. I was thinking about Kaoru. I guess seeing her so hurt is something that I'm not used to. We're normally there to save her from this kind of thing. It just makes me so angry-" Kenshin put a hand on the boy's shoulder, a comfort somewhat to his words.

"Perhaps I should take over with the meal, Yahiko. It's been a long night, you should get some rest." Yahiko frowned. Was Kenshin trying to get rid of him? He didn't want to be left out of the loop like he wasn't part of the family. Yahiko took the spoon back from Kenshin, his movements quick, being an ex-pickpocket giving him an advantage somewhat.

"I prepared it, Kenshin. I said that I would look after her food." He stood still and held onto the spoon with dear life. He wouldn't let Kenshin take over; he had to prove that he could look after Kaoru by himself. He felt Kenshin sigh beside him as he kept on stirring the soup gently while it heated.

"Yahiko, I'm not trying to say that you are not capable of looking after Kaoru-"

"Where's the food?" Sano's boisterous voice came from the doorway to the kitchen cutting off any form of communication between them. Yahiko turned to look up at Sano, noting that he had also changed, his appearance had stayed the same however, the only difference was that his clothes were no longer sticking to him as he strode into the room. Turning back to Kaoru's soup he felt the passing of Kenshin's gi against his arm as the rurouni turned towards Sano to deal with him.

He didn't know what to think anymore. Kaoru was back and he didn't need to worry about going into the storm to find her, but if he had… If he had gone out to search for her, maybe she wouldn't have been hurt. He could have been there to save her. It wasn't just her name he needed to protect anymore; it looked as though he had to look out for her as well. He was going to be a samurai, and he had a duty to protect his family.

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Kenshin turned towards the tall figure leaning against the doorframe that was Sano. He had a toothpick in his mouth and he wearily chewed on it. Kenshin knew just by reading his ki that the laid back position that Sano took wasn't what it seemed. Instead of the common concept that Sano leant against anything because he wanted to, the doorframe was keeping the exhausted fighter standing. Kenshin knew that he didn't want to appear weak in front of the boy and definitely not in front of him.

"You shouldn't lean against the frame, Sanosuke. It might not be able to take your weight." Kenshin turned once more to inspect Yahiko as he continued to stir the soup on the stove. He was determined to look after it himself, and Kenshin could understand that the boy wanted to do something normal after the shock of seeing his instructor stumble through the gates bruised and bloody. He frowned and turned back to see Sano now sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the table eating the dried fruit he could only assume had been on a shelf somewhere. As he ate, his face changed with different emotions which could only be linked to today's events.

He had done as Sano had asked and tried to calm down as he changed into his only other dry pair of clothing that he owned. A dark blue gi and grey hakama, he had also pulled his hair up into a high pony tail, more for convenience than state of mind. He was still furious, but kept his anger inside. It was obviously upsetting the occupants of the dojo and was probably not as constructive as he wanted it to be. He had to make sure that Kaoru was alright before he went on his man hunt.

He turned his thoughts back to Sano as he sighed into the fruit he was holding barely inches away from his mouth. Maybe Kenshin had pushed him too hard to get back to Tokyo, as he watched as a wave of exhaustion passed over Sano's face, only to be replaced by anger. His eyes snapped up to meet Kenshin's, placing the fruit down upon the table, Sano then closed his eyes and took a deep breath in and let it out slowly.

Kenshin felt a wave of calm immediately settle upon him as Sano yet again displayed his ability to diminish the angry ki that flared around Kenshin.

"Nani?" Yahiko's soft exclamation made Sano swiftly turn his head in surprise. Kenshin stared once at Sano before turning back to Yahiko who was now holding the spoon out of the pan and letting soup drip onto the floor, his mouth agape as he gazed at Sano.

"Sanosuke, are you holding something back from us?" Kenshin growled softly but then clenched his jaw as he strode out of the room.

He had kept half of his concentration focused on the woman in the bathhouse, and, once hearing the shoji glide open fully, he was by her side. Knowing that she wouldn't be comfortable with him if he picked her up again he snakes one of his arms around her waist as the other had quickly grabbed the medical supplies he had organised earlier.

He led the now very subdued Kaoru down the hallway to her room, the very fact that she was leaning against him and limping instead of yelling at him and shooting glares at him told him how much pain she must be in. His anger was slowly rising as the stepped into her room. He had been in earlier to set out her futon and to make sure that there wasn't anything in there that she could trip over. Her room smelled of jasmine, she smelled of jasmine. He could almost drown in the scent and he inhaled deeply, letting his anger disperse and be replaced by a calm atmosphere filled with the scent that was purely Kaoru.

"Kaoru, daijobu ka?" He knew the answer would always be that she was fine, no matter what the circumstance. It made him feel somewhat safe knowing that she was always looking out for him, not wanting to make him worry. He helped her onto her futon and settled her down, making sure her ankle was elevated somewhat. He looked into her sapphire blue eyes as he waited for the answer that would make him smile.

"Iie. Kenshin, no. I'm not okay."

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**A/N:** So what is wrong with our dear Kaoru? I think that I should go to evil school and learn how to write better cliff hangers. My apologies. 

Once again, thank you to all who submit a review, and to all those who don't but read my fanfic, thank you for reading. I hope that you enjoy it.

Hooray for my fanfic for getting over 50 reviews! I'm truly loved. Hugs all round from me to you!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** HELLO EVERYONE! I apologise for the late update, although I did mention that this update would be around two weeks because I was getting settled into university life. Don't worry, I shall be continuing with this fanfic and will eventually finish it. Just don't expect it to be any time soon.

Anyway, thank you so much for all your fantastic reviews, I really appreciate it. Although, it's probably best if people want me to reply to their questions to log in and not leave an anonymous review, because then it just makes everything easier if I can just click the 'reply' link.

Apologies if I can't answer to everyone's reviews, I try my best to make the story as good as possible as my way to compensate for the lack of replies.

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Kenshin stared at her, his eyes boring into hers and then he blinked and the moment was lost. He moved from sitting in front of her and sat to the side in order to get at the cut on her arm. She turned her head to follow his movements and as he shifted she could see him retreating inside himself, hiding his eyes behind his bangs to keep his thoughts to himself. 

No, no, no! She couldn't let him do this to her again. It was getting almost ridiculous. Every time she thought that she had a break-through, he would go and do this to her.

"Do you want to know what is wrong Kenshin, or are you simply going to hide?" She quietly asked him, hoping that the response would be a positive one rather than the negative.

"Hai, Kaoru. I would like to know what is bothering you." The answer was quite clear but was one that provoked her scathing reply.

"Other than the obvious, _Kenshin_?" His head snapped up and blue met amber.

"I was attacked on my way home, Kenshin. On. My. Way. Home. Do you know how mad that made me feel?" She frowned at the incredulous look that briefly flitted across his face that was replaced by a masked expression.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there. I promise next time I will be there to save-" She cut him off before he could say anymore. This was her chance to fully explain why she was angry, a chance to explain why she was upset.

"There isn't going to be a next time. I was tired, I allowed myself to be put in that situation." She sighed as she admitted it aloud. Her head dropped onto her knees as she brought her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. He didn't move or say anything and she took this as a sign to continue what she was saying. Perhaps he knew that she needed to get it out of her system.

"You know what I hate most? It was that the moment they attacked I wished you were there." She stared past him, not wanting to see his expression as she said this.

"I don't underst-" Once more she cut him off only this time with a sad smile and a small shake of the head, her hair swishing from side to side.

"I'm the assistant master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, Kenshin. I shouldn't have had to have wished that you were there." Her anger suddenly bubbled once more, the feeling of desperation, of loneliness and dependence on everyone but herself surged through her.

"Kao-"

"You and Sano and Yahiko are always there to protect me, but you forget one thing. I was able to manage on my own before you all came." As she cut him off again, she turned her head again and watched the closed door. If they continued arguing, at this rate it would be of no surprise if Sano and Yahiko snapped open the shoji to reveal two very angry individuals.

"And we will stay to protect you-"

"That's not what I want anymore!" She cried out and her room was suddenly very quite, they could hear every droplet of rain that fell against the roof.

"You want me to leave? Is that it Kaoru?" His voice was dangerously soft.

"No! I-"

"Because I'm not going to leave you, Kaoru." He cut her off, his voice not rising in volume or pitch.

"Kenshin." She turn towards him, letting her legs go as she twisted her torso towards him.

"You leaving is the last thing that I want." She responded passionately.

"Then what is it that you want, Kaoru?"

The room was suddenly filled with tension, she searched his eyes for the hidden meaning in his words trying to work out if he meant what he said or meant what he wanted.

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Something bumped against his shoulder and Yahiko turned to see a huge head of spiky hair behind him.

"Move tori-atama, you're too heavy to sit on me." He harshly whispered to Sano.

"Shut-up Yahiko-_chan_. I can't hear anything if you keep on talking."

He had followed Kenshin out minutes after he had risen quickly after asking Sano what he was hiding. The boy scoffed, the tori-atama had hidden nothing, almost as quickly as it had hit the room like a stampeding elephant, the calm atmosphere had dispersed before Kenshin could make it out of the room. Undoubtedly, Sanosuke had learnt something along the way and didn't have any idea what it could do. Now, Yahiko had to watch out for two things that the baka-tori couldn't control. The mysterious calming ability and his strength.

If Kaoru could see him now, he knew that he would hear no end of it, which was the whole point of sitting around the corner of her room. He was hoping, by eavesdropping, that he would: 1) learn something new about the fight Kaoru seemed to have tangled herself up in 2) find out what was bothering her and 3) hopefully revert back into her normal self and begin to whack him on the head for listening in on her private conversations.

He doubted any of the above would occur because Kenshin was in with Kaoru, and he always knew when people were listening into private conversations and purposefully keep is voice down.

Yahiko knew that none of the above reasons were why Sano was now silently standing behind him. The big oaf just wanted to know what was happening between Kenshin and Kaoru.

Yahiko really didn't know what to think about the relationship that they held, he really didn't understand it. Sano had once attempted to explain the complications of the Kenshin-Kaoru saga, but to Yahiko it was quite simple, if you loved someone you should be with them.

It was obvious that Kaoru liked the rurouni, the busu was always around him, but love? Yahiko frowned. He didn't really know much about love to tell anything apart, but Kaoru was only 18 now. Not that much older than he was. Yahiko shook his head, well, she was a little older than he was, but really, their ages were very similar, close enough to be brother and sister.

A loud cry startled Yahiko from his kneeling position around the corner.

"That's not what I want anymore!" Kaoru's yell echoed through the closed shoji door and out into the hallway and then engulfed by the rain. All was quiet again only this time Yahiko didn't have try and listen to the low conversation because of the deadly silence that permeated over the Kamiya Dojo.

After a stunningly long gap of absolute nothingness, he heard the faint rumble of Kenshin's voice followed by Kaoru's and Yahiko heard Sano sigh in relief.

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Sano rolled his shoulders cracking some bones in his neck as he relaxed somewhat from craning his neck around the corner and heard Yahiko's soft exhale of pent up breath that he didn't know he was holding. If Yahiko had failed to release the held breath for a minute longer, he would have had to have given the boy a small whack on the back, which would be bad.

It would have created a noise that would probably not be appreciated by Kenshin at this point in time. He had enough trouble as it was dealing with Jou-chan without the added problem of Yahiko being unable to breathe.

Speaking of breathing, his calming technique was obviously getting on people's nerves. Perhaps they saw how calm it made him and they were jealous of his ability to create an inner paradise. Maybe the oh-great-and-powerful-mediating-iceblock would be jealous. He was always trying to meditate.

When they had been in Kyoto, he hadn't understood how it was done with the genki itachi jumping all around her Aoshi-sama.

At least Jou-chan never jumped around Kenshin like that, and he now knew that if she did, Kenshin would also be spending time in a lone temple hidden by a forest with a cup of green tea.

The image that he had conjured up in his head was almost comical and he let out a derisive snort, which, it seemed, the brat didn't appreciate and retaliated by elbowing him in the ribs.

Which Sano responded to with the whack on the back, of which, he had held back from earlier. He then grabbed the younger boy's ear and dragged him back to the kitchen and promptly sat him down at the small table.

"What's your problem, baka-tori?" He ground out through gritted teeth.

"Shut up Yahiko-_chan_. Don't you understand that Kaoru probably went through a tough ordeal, without any of us there to protect her? She was spilling her beans to Kenshin and you decide to start a fight with me?" He sat down cross legged opposite Yahiko on the other side of the table. There was a long silence before Yahiko said anything, his head was hung and he was playing with the sleeves of his gi.

"I was trying to find out who I'm 'sposed to go after, baka." The boy softly answered back, lifting his head and his dark eyes reflecting the anger within.

"It's not fair. She was out there, fighting for herself and I… I was here-" The boy started mumbling, falling over his words in his explanation, horror making his eyes wide.

"It was my fault. If I was there, this wouldn't have happened. It's my fault she got injured-" Sano brought his fists down hard on the table, making it shudder from the sudden onslaught.

"This was not your fault, Yahiko." The boy looked up at Sano wide-eyed, not noticing the lack of the 'chan' part.

"Even if you had gone out searching for her, and if she hadn't been caught up in a fight, she would have gone out to search for you and quite possibly met whoever she met and got just as equally injured." Sano stared at Yahiko, willing the boy to understand. Perhaps he was too young to understand that sentence because his eyes had suddenly glazed over.

"I meant that Kaoru still could have gotten injured, even if you had gone out. This isn't your fault and to blame yourself would just be stupid." Sano tried to soften his facial expression to go along with his softly spoken words, not wanting the boy to feel as bad about Kaoru's injuries as he looked.

"Yahiko-_chan_, you _baka_!" A tired voice rang out and both males at the table swung their heads towards the door to see a neatly bandaged Kaoru clinging onto Kenshin, the light behind them creating a soft glow.

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Kenshin had finished dealing with the injury on her arm in silence and then moved on to the cut on her leg which was a great deal more embarrassing for Kaoru to deal with.

The tension in the room was slowly mounting and Kenshin could feel how tense Kaoru was judging by the stiffness of her spine.

Unfortunately for her, she had to pull up her yukata for him to work on the wound on her thigh. It seemed sufficiently clean, however Kenshin thought it best to apply the balm in case of infection. The only reaction to his somewhat cool hand on her leg was a small flinch, if he hadn't been watching her profile for a reaction, he would have missed it.

Her skin was incredibly smooth and he was blinded by anger briefly at seeing her perfect skin marred by gashes and bruises.

She hadn't said anything since he had asked that question, her only response was to curl up in a ball again and rest her chin on her knees and he worked on her arm. When he had finished with her arm, she had slid her legs down to rest on the futon, and Kenshin had watched her, eyes hidden behind his bangs, soaking up the vision that she presented.

He slowly and deliberately wrapped the bandage around her leg, one hand on the outside and the other threading the bandage around her leg.

He heard a little scuffle break out down the hallway. He knew that both Sano and Yahiko were down there, attempting to listen in on their conversation.

"What's your problem, baka-tori?" Kenshin heard as Yahiko was seemingly dragged away from the hallway and down to the kitchen. Judging by the ki that was being emitted by the two down the hall, Yahiko was in for a mini-lecture from none other than Sanosuke.

He smiled lightly before quickly putting balm on Kaoru's engorged ankle then wrapping it, making sure to only put light pressure in an effort to support the ankle.

Both Sano and Yahiko had grown up a lot since they had been in contact with Kaoru. Possibly their protective nature had grown more, although they were maturing into essentially good people.

He moved to sit right next to her and gently placed a couple fingers under her chin, forcing her head to turn to he could look at the cut on her face. It was clean and wasn't big but it still made his heart clench to see her in pain.

He softly rubbed the balm into her cut, making sure to be as delicate as possible, her cheek satin underneath his fingers. She closed her eyes while he rubbed in the ointment and he felt shut out from the blue depths in which he would gladly drown.

"Kaoru…" He whispered softly and she opened her eyes, blinking slowly as he watched as emotions swirled in the blueness of her eyes.

They were so close… Their intimate moment was broken by a loud banging noise and Sano's loud voice.

"This was not your fault, Yahiko." Kaoru snapped her head and turned it away from Kenshin's soft grasp and then struggled to get up.

"Kaoru, you shouldn't move." He put a restrictive hand on her shoulder, but she batted it away and turned her worried gaze to his.

"He doesn't understand Kenshin, I have to, at least, try and explain. He needs me." She softly told him and stared at him until he nodded and he helped her to her foot.

"If we go out there, I'm helping you. Understand, Kaoru?" She only nodded in acquiescence. They made it to the kitchen just as Sano finished his spiel on certain hypothesis' situations. Yahiko still looked guilty and Kenshin could sense that anything that Sano tried to tell him, he wasn't going to listen to. Perhaps Kaoru was right.

"Yahiko-_chan_, you _baka_!"

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**A/N:** So what do you think? worth the wait? (a-c ducks underneath her computer desk) Hopefully? 

I'm sorry for the seemingly evil cliff hanger of the last chapter, it just seemed like a good place to stop. Plus I couldn't think of anything else that would create an impact as remotely good as that did.

Apologies for any typo's, I did my best to edit and post as quickly as possible.

Thank you to all who read my fanfic! Hooray for 71 reviews!

Post a review!

You know you want to.

You know you want to make me grin like a complete idiot in the middle of a computer lab.

Just imagining it should amuse you enough to write a tiny review...


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** WOW! I would just like to say **thank you so much for your reviews!** It's amazing how many people seem to be enjoying my fanfic and for that I am truly blessed. Anyway. I thought that I would get this chapter out while it was still on my mind. Because otherwise I would forget what I was planning to do and everyone would be waiting another two weeks for an update. Which I am sure will occur regularly from now until it is finished (due to work/uni/sleeping). I apologise for the long waits in between, but it is probably better for you to have larger chapters at a longer wait, than shorter chapters in a shorter amount of time. Anyway. I hope that you enjoy this chapter as it has almost broken my neck sitting here and typing it up all at once for a couple of hours (something which I will never do again unless something strikes me - which it inevitably will). Oh, just a small point I should mention. Somewhere in the chapter there is a small reference to "Grey's Anatomy" which I don't own but wish to. Happy reading!

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Both of the male occupants in the kitchen swung their heads towards the doorway and stared at the very exhausted Kaoru and the impassive Kenshin. 

Yahiko stared at her after she had announced his stupidity and then looked away sullenly, not uttering a single word. She sighed and looked at the ceiling before moving forward and sitting down at the table, Sano having moved so that she could sit opposite Yahiko.

She stared at the young boy who had been staring at the intricacies of the stove and shut her eyes.

"Yahiko…" she started, trying to gain his attention. It seemed like a tough battle had to be won, and the stove was winning.

"Yahiko, what happened was not your fault." Her voice was gentle and as she continually stared at the side of his head. In her peripheral vision, she saw Sano move around to sit by Yahiko and Kenshin moved to sit next to her, after placing a warm bowl of miso in front of her.

She looked down at the bowl and frowned, remembering Yahiko having said that he would reheat her dinner. Since when had he started cooking? He had eaten her slightly burnt dishes for the past two weeks without complaining and now he suddenly decides to cook.

"Thank you for the meal, Yahiko." As she slowly ate her meal, the tension between the four sitting at the table slowly simmered away, Yahiko not having turned his head to face her since she had sat down. Finally she finished the bowl and closed her eyes and let her shoulders slump. She was too tired to play the game of cat and mouse anymore.

"Yahiko, look at me." It was a direct order, one he couldn't really ignore. The boy started with the sudden command before she won the final battle against the stove.

His eyes told her everything she needed to know. He was worried, guilty and plainly out for revenge at what had happened. It was going to take a lot for her to convince him that he wasn't at fault.

"Today I went out to teach at a dojo, Yahiko. Why did I go instead of you?" By addressing the issue from a different angle, perhaps she could make him see that it was her decisions that led them to where they were now.

"Because you're the sensei, Kaoru. Geeze, you couldn't send me out there, I don't know enough yet." He had answered the way that she knew he would and she hid a small smile. Whenever she asked him a question that all the world could answer, he got defensive and answered quickly without really thinking of what he was saying.

"Exactly. Do you have the power to control what I do or don't do, Yahiko?" She stared at the boy while he digested her question.

"N-o…" he drew his answer out, his expression confused.

"Did you order those men to intercept me on my way home and attack me, Yahiko?" She asked, still staring at him. He jolted when she asked that and angrily replied.

"No. I would never send anyone after you to hurt you-"

"Then it is not your fault." She interrupted him.

"You had no authority over any of the events that transpired today. None, Yahiko." She was close to her lecturing tone, but she still injected care into her speech.

"The only way that you can possibly take the blame for what happened was if you were kami himself, in which case all should bow down to you, Yahiko-sama." She said the last part sarcastically, trying to emphasise her point.

The room had gotten quiet, not a sound was uttered as she watched as several emotions flittered across the boy's young face.

Sano took this time to crack his finger knuckles which gave Kaoru the desire to bop him over the head with a broom. She was trying to teach Yahiko one of life's many complex lessons, not have Sano bored enough to start fidgeting.

"I still…" Yahiko dropped his head down to stare at his hands in his lap.

"I still feel guilty…"

"That makes you human, Yahiko. It means that when bad things happen you can feel. It means that you will do your best to make sure nothing bad can happen to those around you. No matter what you do, Yahiko, bad things will always happen. It's what you do in reaction to them that shows your true self."

Obviously the lesson was too deep for the young boy to comprehend as a slightly glazed expression appeared on the boy's face. She blew her hair up out of her face in exasperation.

"Yahiko, the guilt that you feel is connected to the care that you have for your family. Don't ever lose that feeling, because it means that you want to protect the ones that you love." Kenshin had cut in, trying in his way to explain why Yahiko felt the way he did.

Yahiko slightly nodded and Kaoru hoped that he would be able to understand his feelings sooner rather than later.

The room was quiet once again as they all tried to digest the small lecture given by one very tired Kaoru.

"Were all your injuries made by him?" Yahiko suddenly asked after staring avidly at her for what had seemed like a fairly long time.

"Yahiko! That's not something that you're supposed to ask!" She answered indignantly, obviously the boy still had some way to go in the manners department.

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Yahiko stared at her intently before looking back down at his hands. He only wanted to know how much to hurt the guy, after all, it was only fair to return the favour.

"What? I only wanted to know how much my sensei could get injured in a single fight against some guy." He muttered loud enough so that she could hear him. She turned slightly red in anger and she whipped out a rolling pin and whacked him lightly on the head. Honestly, he didn't understand how she managed to find a weapon when she had none.

"Hey! Busu! What was that for!" He rubbed his head, exaggerating the severity of the blow upon his skull. He barely understood the thing she was talking about feeling, she was almost as bad as the pebble-spurting-zen-conversationalist Aoshi. Inwardly he smiled, this was the Kaoru he could deal with.

"Mou! You think that a single person could cause me that much injury, Yahiko! Give me some credit." She said tiredly, to which Kenshin's eyes sparked dangerously gold.

He took the rolling pin from her hand as he got up and took her empty bowl to the sink before once more settling himself beside her, sitting more rigidly than before.

"What?" Yahiko's reactions had slightly decreased in quickness as his mind took in the sudden information.

"There was more than one?" He couldn't believe it. It was unjust that a single man to take on a woman. Kamatari didn't really count, his mind told him, even then it was Kaoru and Misao against him. But it was Kaoru's strategic thinking that had saved them. He was so busy thinking of that particular fight that he almost missed her answer.

"It was three men, Yahiko." His mouth dropped open. Three men had tried to take advantage of her. He saw Kenshin's hands fist in his lap and he visibly struggled with himself. Sano, who was sitting beside him had become as still and rigid as a block of wood.

"They caused all your injuries then? They didn't, like, you know…" He asked quietly. Her head, that had previously been hung dejectedly snapped up and her clear blue eyes stared into his. She blinked and then shook her head slightly, to indicate that they hadn't done what he hoped they hadn't.

"No, they didn't. Everything but my ankle. I am perfectly fine." She spoke, answering each of his questions shortly before moving onto the rest. Sano snorted beside him.

"If perfectly fine means that you look like the living dead, Kaoru, you are in a land called denial of which you are queen." Yahiko and the two remaining people sitting at the table gawked at Sano with their mouths hanging wide open.

Kaoru struggled to say something in her defence but all that seemed to come out were inexplicable noises but were cut off by Kenshin's growl.

"Be careful what you say, Sanosuke." To which Sano responded to by blanching visibly and then muttering under his breath.

Yahiko tried to lighten the mood by turning his attention back to Kaoru.

"So where did your sprained ankle come from then?" The innocent question hung in the air as Kaoru suddenly became interested in the table in front of her. She fiddled with her yukata's sleeves and a tinged pink emerged that she couldn't really hide.

"I slipped and it twisted. Something was on my mind and I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing-" Yahiko cut her off.

"You tripped busu? And here was me worried that someone else tried to attack you. Geeze, Kaoru, you could have at least been doing something more noble than tripping!" Yahiko sat there offended that she had only tripped to cause such an injury and he shook his head in embarrassment.

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Sano muttered under his breath. Stupid over-protective rurouni/battousai. All he had said was the truth. It did seem to matter to him that Sano was as equally worried about Kaoru as he was. He turned his head towards Yahiko who was now hounding Kaoru about her ankle to which she had denied that she had been injured in her fight against three men. What had possessed them to attack her. She was young and innocent and probably alone when the fight had occurred…

Realisation struck Sano like a ton of bricks and anger surged through him like nothing before. They were really attempting to take advantage of her. It wasn't a fight of honesty or pride, she was probably fighting for her life. Against three men.

The number kept repeating itself in his mind and he felt his knuckles pop as he turned his hands into fists. Sano didn't even want to think about one man fighting Kaoru, let alone three, and she had defeated them by herself. Obviously they weren't giving her enough credit for her fighting ability, but he didn't want to.

The last time she was in a fight, it was against the Juppongatana, which, he reasoned, the Oniwanbanshu had quite a hand in the fight. It made him shudder to image her in any fight. She was Kaoru, kind, caring and considerate. Anyone who wanted to hurt her made him want to hurt them.

Filled with angry thoughts about those who wanted to hurt his friend, he turned to her in time to see Kenshin wrap his hands around hers. Since when had he been so affectionate? Sano coughed lightly and Yahiko turned to look at him, his young face marred with a frown, before halting his rant all together and watching the small interaction between Kenshin and Kaoru.

Sano coughed once more and Kenshin tore his gaze from Kaoru's and turned his attention to Sano who promptly tilted his head slightly to point to Yahiko who was staring with rapt fascination.

Sano watched as Kenshin regarded the boy before nodding at Sano and removing his hands from around Kaoru's smoothing them in her lap before sitting back into his kneeling position.

"Yahiko, Kaoru managed to take on three men, with minor injuries and you're harassing her about a single injury which she probably did due to exhaustion after her fight." Sano looked sternly down at the small boy beside him.

"Ano… It was before…" Kaoru brought a hand up to her mouth to cover up a yawn. Sano stared at her as she did so, this one young woman had stood up against three men with an injured foot that looked almost twice its usual size. He saw Yahiko's jaw drop in surprise as he digested this new information, his usually quick response time challenged by this new announcement. Sano had known that Kaoru was strong, but he had somehow misjudged her strength and determination.

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Kenshin started at the raven haired woman beside him. Had he just heard that she had fought with an injured ankle against three men? Surely that had meant that she had had to have used all of her body in defending herself which could mean the reason that her ankle was so inflamed was because of this? It also meant that had she been fighting at her full capacity, she may or may not have been injured less.

Golden eyes once again roved over her slim frame, willing it to heal and not cause her anymore harm.

When Yahiko had asked where she had injured her ankle she had dropped her head an blushed lightly, her hands twisting the material of her sleeves. He had reached over to pull her hands into his. She had turned her head sideways and he stared into her eyes as he spoke to her. "_You will ruin the fabric if you continue to do that."_ He had let himself drown in the the deep blueness of her eyes before being subtly interrupted by Sano and then the reality of the situation rushed back and he let go of her hands and smoothed them in her lap.

Her hands had been soft in his, her eyes a deep sapphire when she had locked gazes with him. Her spirit had shone through, fighting against the very idea that she was as weak as Yahiko had been complaining about.

The boy had a lot to learn about this particular woman, she had a very strong fighting spirit and hopefully Yahiko would learn more from her in the future. Her small diminutive figure could surprise even he, the former hitokiri Battousai. He wouldn't admit it aloud though, if he did, his enemies could take advantage of it and use it against his now peaceful family. Shishio was enough to deal with.

He watched as her hand once again travelled up to cover her mouth to cover a second yawn followed by slow blinking that were obvious signs of her exhaustion.

Without a second thought he had swiftly gathered her up into his arms once more, weary of her injuries and stood to make his way to her room. There was little objection to his actions by Kaoru, only a soft mew of surprise and a half-hearted struggle, which further proved her fatigue.

Yahiko and Sano had followed his movements with raised eyebrows, but he didn't care. She needed her rest and he would be damned if she didn't get it.

Everyone else seemed a little worse for wear and he decided to voice his opinion.

"It would probably be best if we were to retire, it is getting late."

He was somewhat surprised when she wound her arms around his neck and rested her head against his shoulder as he stood waiting for the others to stand also.

He looked down at her, his expression unreadable and made his way out after Sano and Yahiko, pausing to close the shoji door with his foot.

Kenshin padded quietly down the hallway and he felt Kaoru's breathing shift and the arms around his neck becoming limper as he made his way to her room. Yahiko had trudged ahead into his own room whilst Sano had slowed to quietly pull open Kaoru's door before saluting goodnight to which he responded to with a nod.

Kenshin moved into her room with his precious bundle safe in his arms. His foot once again came into use by softly shutting the door with his foot. He did not intend to leave her alone tonight. She looked too vulnerable and he would spend all night watching her if that was what it took to keep her safe.

He lowered her body down onto the futon, carefully placing her head on a pillow and then reaching up around his neck to make sure that her arms didn't drop to the ground. He suddenly missed her warmth as he moved away only to be stopped by a faint noise of disapproval and a small frown from her unconscious form.

"Sleep, my little koneko, I will not leave you." He told her quietly which seemed to satisfy her as he face smoothed and her breathing further evened out.

He moved to lean his back against the wall and listened to the faint rise and fall of her breathing, barely heard above the thundering rain.

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**A/N: THE END!**

I'm kidding. I think that the majority of those who read this would kill me. Slowly and painfully.

So, even though I think it's a pretty good place to stop, I think it's best that I continue, .

It would leave to many lose ends... like the diminishing healing balm... and the drawings in Sano's room... And Megumi really hasn't made an appearance yet... And what will happen to those three men...

You catch my drift.

I had a thought( yes, another one)...

How do you (as reviewers) first come across my fanfic? Is it just went it's updated it goes in as one that had been recently updated?

Or do you click on people's bio's of writers to see what they're interested in.

I was just wondering... that's all.

I have one thing in which I would like to make clear - In the last chapter I only italicised particular words to emphasise their meaning and particular use to try and convey across how they would say something. It would just be really repetitve if I kept writing 'he/she emphasised their disapproval/annoyance/anger by calling him what he most hated' etc.

Usually I use italics to show a past incident, so maybe I should make myself more clear in the future.

**Hope that you enjoyed the chapter and thank you SO MUCH for the reviews... Almost 100. I am proud (sits in chair exhaustedly proudly) and very thankful.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Okay, I realise that I have been less than regular during the posting-ness of my fanfic (please don't hurt me), so here is my gift to you. It's a Mini-Chapter! Yay! We love mini-chapters! This is the best I can do between the classes-that-will-never-end and the work-that-keeps-on-growing. Thank you SO MUCH for all your reviews! I really appreciate all the thoughtful comments that you give me... I am very very lucky. I think I'm supposed to put in disclaimers on every chapter which I haven't done since the first chapter, so here goes... I do not own Rurouni Kenshin!

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She dreamt. Of a time when she needn't have looked after herself, when she hadn't had to have kept an eye over her shoulder to avoid men, and when she felt safest in her father's arms. As one does when in a dream, Kaoru watched as the scene unravelled before her, her memory combining with her imagination to create the illusion that was her dream. 

"_Otousan, when I get big, what will I be?" Blue eyes wide as she stared up into her father's eyes, her small form dwarfed in his lap. Her father looked down upon his small child, once again utter his thanks for the gift that was his child. He fingered the small girl's pony tail, playfully avoiding the question._

"_You will be big, Kaoru." A small pout appeared on the young girl's face, her nose crinkling in distaste._

"_Otousan. That's not a good answer. Of course I will be big when I am big." She tugged on her father's gi, the dark blue fabric nothing in comparison to her eyes._

"_Maa, maa. You are so bossy sometimes." The man smiled down at his young daughter while she pouted back up at him. He sighed and gave into her clear blue eyes._

"_One day hime-chan, you will be known as the rose of kenjutsu." The little girl's eyes widened further, whilst she leant her head against her father's chest._

"_I think that would be good, Otousan."_

_Dark red entered her vision and slowly the happy setting became one of violence and hatred. Darkened figures surrounded her entirely, faceless shadows circling her as they chanted unfathomable moans. She twirled, unable to keep up with their movements, and then she was standing alone, bathed in a white light._

_Empty space filled her vision, a world in which nothing existed and then she blinked._

_She was alone, completely and utterly, no one was there to help her to her feet. She was alone, detached emotionally and isolated, staring as the storm rolled in. The letter that had been in her hand, had long since fallen out of her limp grasp, and was now sitting in a puddle in front of her. As the rain drenched her still form, she could not find the energy to move._

_ She was on her knees, her kimono now ruined with the mud and rain, yet she still could not move. Her head was bowed and tears fell, but were lost in the rain._

_The black ink of the letter had started to run but the line was to be permanently etched into her mind._

"_To the Kamiya Household, We regret to inform you of the passing of…" She was numb. First her mother, then her father had left do help with the __Satsuma Rebellion__ and now he was gone, she was completely alone. _

_The top half of her body seemed to lose its ability to stay upright and her arms flew in front to support her weight as the silent tears cascaded down her face, mingling in the rain._

Suddenly she was awake, being held in a strong embrace, her face hidden in the crook between the person's neck and shoulder. The pain she felt in her dream was still fresh on her mind. How could something so happy, turn into something so dreadful. She had tried to avoid the pain of her father's passing, even blocked it out of her memory, but it had still come back to haunt her.

She felt the strong arms tighten as she let out a small sob and she responded to it by grabbing onto handfuls of a gi that smelled of pine and ginger.

He was whispering to her, to calm her down, but all she could grasp was the rumbling of his voice as she tried to bury herself into his embrace, leaning on him, finally admitting to herself that she needed support.

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He had watched her form in the darkness, watching her sleeping was one of his favourite pastimes, not that he would admit it aloud. The others didn't know that whenever his past haunted him in his rest, he would come into her room and just her presence would calm his unsettling thoughts and dreams.

He would watch the steady rise and fall as she breathed and contentedly relaxed in the somewhat meditative atmosphere that was created only by her. He would be gone by morning, and even though he was somewhat sleep deprived, spent the day in good spirits knowing that she had unwittingly caused his past to become nothing but a whisper.

Tonight was different. Her face would usually be set in complete and utter look of peacefulness or harmony. She was mumbling in her sleep, although it wasn't bad, Kenshin had heard that talking in your sleep had something to do with the how your mind was unsettled with something that had occurred.

She smiled faintly in her sleep and her lips moved, over the rain he couldn't hear anything, so he moved closer.

"…not good answer…" He face pouted, and he couldn't resist leaning over and brushing her fringe away from her face. He stared down at her, marvelling at the way she looked so innocent when she slept, her fiery temper hidden in unconsciousness. Her lashes were long and his eyes followed her nose down to her perfectly shaped lips. Lush and red, he decided it best to move on lest he do something he would regret. He frowned when he came across the cut on the left side of her cheek. He reached out to trace it lightly and she flinched, a frown ghosting across her otherwise unmarred face.

Lightning lit up the room suddenly, throwing shadows through the shoji door. He unconsciously moved even closer to her as he heard her breathing change. She moaned and turned in her sleep, anger and confusion flashing across her face clear as day.

Thunder rumbled in the distance and she curled into a ball by his side, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. He stared down at her perplexed and concerned. She did not normally behave like this in her sleep. She gave a silent sob and the tears that were being held unbidden were let loose.

She choked out a single word before he had gathered her up in his arms and begun to rock her gently, trying to force her out of her unpleasant dream.

She let out a quiet sob before tunnelling into his arms, and he held onto her just that little bit more. He felt her tears dampen his skin in the place where his neck and shoulder met, but he didn't care. All he was focused on was Kaoru and stopping her pain.

"Kaoru, it's alright… Don't cry…" He was whispering into her hair, trying to calm her down. At first he thought that she was upset because of the events that had conspired. It was enough to get him very angry, but then she had whimpered "Otousan", which would mean that it had nothing to do with the previous days' events.

He was finding that the particular woman in his arms hid a lot more than he realised.

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For once, sleep did not come easily for the bone-chewing ex-fighter for hire. He sat in the darkness for he knew that if he had kept a light on it could prove to become a distraction for the other members of the household. Instead, he positioned himself near the open shoji door staring out at the rain-soaked courtyard contemplating.

It was not a new concept, contrary to the common belief that he barely used any of his brain, be it small or large, he just choose not to voice his more 'intelligent' thoughts to himself. Of course it could be possible that no-one would believe him, that and it would probably give Megumi a heart attack from the shock that he actually had some sort of IQ.

He knew that they all thought of him as being just a 'baka-tori', Kaoru was somehow excluded in this majority. It was like she could see right through him and that was scary, yet comforting at the same time.

She had always been there when he needed her, not that he would admit to it. This was his home, she was the family that he had lost, although, his family did include the two remaining occupants of the dojo, even if it was only by default.

"_Sanosuke." She had snuck up on him yet again, as he was staring up at the sky. He glanced at her before looking out at the koi in the pond._

"_You don't always have to come here you know." She carefully sat beside him, balancing herself elegantly on a rock. It was times like this that amazed Sano about her agility, her tomboy attitude vanishing into the night. She sighed as she stared up at the star filled sky._

"_It used to comfort me, knowing that there were stars in the sky, it somehow felt that I wasn't alone." Sano knew better than to talk, he would probably open his mouth and some stupid comment would come out unintentionally and ruin the moment._

"_That was before you all came." She put a hand on his arm, the warmth seeping through the material of his jacket and getting under his skin and into his heart._

"_It used to comfort you?" Sano looked down at her, sometimes his height got in the way of important matters, usually the one on one discussions with the much smaller Kaoru._

"_My comfort now is that my family is here to support me, and I needn't ever feel alone again." She smiled a sad smile before getting to her feet. She looked down at his seated form before walking softly away; the only sound was the material of her yukata._

"_You are never alone, Sanosuke, whether you realize it or not."_

She amazed him, just when he thought he knew Jou-chan, she would go and do something unexpected. He had heard the story of the collection of Yahiko into the family and wondered if she had always been looking out for everyone but herself. It was true, she was selfless, she kept three non-related males in her home and under her wing. It didn't matter that she was housing ex-thieves, hitokiri's or fighters for hire in her home, to her, Yahiko, Kenshin and himself were just people.

People who cared just as much about her as she did them.

People who should be doing more to show their appreciation.

Sano got to his feet softly and went to the centre of the room, moving the rolled up futon out of the way. He tapped the wooden floor, searching for the right spot before pulling gently on one of the boards revealing the objects that would help the dojo with its ongoing costs.

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**A/N:** Wasn't this a highly informative mini-chapter? (a-c hides under a table) Wow! Hugging! And some Agnst-y like stuff! 

There is a distinct lacking of Yahiko-ness in this chapter... All I can say in my defence is this: he was exhausted from worrying so much about Kaoru in the beginning so he is now having a well deserved rest.

Thank you to all those who answered the question of how you stumbled across my fanfic.

Also, many thanks to those who comforted me by saying that it was just as good that I didn't end the fanfic otherwise I would be severely not alive.

Not to worry, I shall continue slaving away with this fanfic, it may just take me longer than anticipated to finish it... Although, I don't think that I would like to end it too soon in any case. I like prolonging the inevitable.

OH! Does anyone know what Kaoru's father's name is? I'm just not sure... Also, I think he was killed during the rebellion, but my sources could be wrong. I'm not exactly sure... (although, finger's crossed that I'm at least close)

Note that I changed it to the 'rose of kenjutsu' rather than the 'rose of the sword'. - Thanks to Nekotsuki for the correction

Happy reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Okay. I am so sorry for the delay! I really am truly VERY very sorry. This semester has turned itself out in a very interesting manner which I will not bore everyone with the details. Just think evil lecturers plus work equals evilness. Anyway, I hope that this was worth the wait, I kept on changing it around because I wasn't happy with what I had and then I rewrote it again and again and I think that if you guys don't like it I will seriously cry. On a serious note, I really do hope that you enjoy this chapter and that everyone has a safe Easter and that no-one gets into too much strife.

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Turning into her pillow in an attempt to shut out the world once more to fall asleep again she noticed two very distinct things. One, her pillow was no longer white and fluffy as the form of her pillows normally took, but was surprisingly comfortable. Secondly, it appeared she was sleeping on a 'someone' instead of a 'something'. 

Kaoru frowned, trying to work out the missing link, getting distracted as arms tightened around her as she subconsciously shifted. Taking a deep breath through her nose she recognised at once who she was using as a human pillow. Pine and ginger always created the image of a forest setting in her mind, relaxing her as she enjoyed the calm solitude which it gave.

She tried to connect the pieces of how she ended up on her futon with Kenshin when her musings were interrupted by the subject of her thoughts.

"Kaoru?" His chest rumbled against her ear as her eyes blinked open. She tried to roll away but was caught by arms of steel. Placing her arms against his chest, she manoeuvred herself so that she was above him, pushing against his chest, her hair falling down around her face. Kenshin's arms moved so that they were around her waist, but had seemingly no intention of letting go.

She remembered having a nightmare in which she had relived what seemed to be the darkest moment in her life, but had also included a memory she cherished.

"Kenshin?" She was looking down into lilac coloured eyes, although his expression was somewhat daunting. She once again tried to shift, realising too late that her ankle was not something that she wanted to move just yet. Kenshin's eyes darkened in colour and before she knew what had happened he had positioned himself above her, his weight resting being supported by his forearms, which rested on either side of her head.

"What are you thinking about?" He tenderly brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear as he asked his question, his voice reaching the same baritone as the previous night. Obviously her thoughts were being passed through the barrier she tried to carefully construct but failed to do so in the aftermath of a traumatising experience.

"How did you end up in my futon, Kenshin?" The response was a low chuckle, as he tucked another strand behind her other ear.

"Is that all you think about, Kaoru?" One eyebrow raised, his expression mocking. In retaliation she brought up her knee and he clenched his legs around hers, catching the cut on her leg making her hiss in discomfort.

"Gomen, Kaoru. I would prefer if you would not attempt that again." He had moved swiftly so he was lying across her, out of the danger zone in which her knees could inflict some serious injury. She had expected he would stop her, but she had forgotten about her injured thigh, so it was just as much her fault as his, not that she would admit it in her anger. Kenshin, as if sensing an explosion of anger from her, cut her off before she could start.

"I don't want you to strain yourself today. No overly exerting movements until I can get Megumi to look at your injuries." He stared straight into her eyes as he announced this and her face twitched in slight annoyance, her anger being held inside for the time being.

Had she not proved that she was capable enough of looking after herself? Kaoru squinted her eyes and glared up at Kenshin, noting the difference between the colour of his eyes to his actions. She could hear the rain still drumming against the roof and she wondered how it could possibly still be raining. Where was all the water coming from? And how on earth was she supposed to work now?

"Kenshin, it's probably well and truly flooded, I refuse to call Megumi out in this weather. Do you doubt your own abilities?" A gleam appeared in Kenshin's eyes as he looked down upon her, he lowered his face down to rest next to her ear.

"Oh, I have no doubt about my abilities, Kaoru." He whispered conspiratorially and before she knew it, he was standing at her shoji door, opening and shutting it quickly as he strode out.

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Sneaking out of the dojo at ungodly hours was never an obstacle for someone with as much talent as Sanosuke Sagara. The problem that he was now faced with, which was also linked with how he could explain how both sets of his clothing were soaked through, was how to get into the dojo without being detected.

He could just walk through the gates with the explanation that he had just wanted to stretch his legs, but that excuse was somewhat idiotic. Who, in their right mind, would want to walk around in this muck? No. He should have dropped by to visit the Kitsune on his way home, and then he could say he had wanted to check up on the clinic and see how the old roof was holding up against the rain.

Walking through the streets that would lead him to the dojo, his current problem almost made him miss a very interesting sight. Almost being the operative word.

From where he stood, he could see a single figure, wearing rain protective garments and a smoke trail which trailed out from underneath a hat.

"I was wondering when some stupid person from that silly tanuki's dojo would come trolling out to investigate." A slow drawl came out from the figure in question. He was tall and stood underneath a small outcrop where the roof kept most of the rain of the person's back.

"Hey! Who are you calling stupid, Saitou!" He stood in the rain, arms crossed as he glared at the tall and somewhat sarcastic police officer. The reply was a short cough, which in itself, did nothing for the mood that Sano was in now.

"From the distance between here and the dojo, I'm speculating that either you or the Battousai had a little trouble last night." Saitou took a drag of his cigarette as he turned towards a semi shocked Sanosuke.

"Why do you say that, Saitou?" He put a sarcastic emphasis on the mibu wolf's name, his way of showing that he very much disliked the man in question at that point in time.

"Well, baka-tori, they were trussed up and knocked out. I'm going to assume that it was the Battousai and his damn conscience that made him drag them so that they weren't left out in the open all night long." Sano clenched his fists and ground his teeth together as he digested this particular piece of information. She was selfless enough to pull the men who had attacked her undercover so that they wouldn't have had the rain beating upon their thick heads all night. Even when she was injured which could have further inflicted pain upon herself.

"My men, who were patrolling in the area earlier this morning found them, imagine how happy they were to drag them back to headquarters in this weather." His emotionless expression stayed as flat as his monotonous tone as he stared past Sano.

"I'm also assuming this has something to with a small tanuki, is it not? That girl is more trouble than she's worth, you tell the Battousai tha-" His sentence was cut off as he was slammed into the wooden wall behind him. Sano glared into the golden eyes with hatred.

"Don't you ever say something like that about Kaoru, ever." He ground out through clenched teeth, pushing Saitou further into the unforgiving wall. The wolf just smirked and took a puff of his cigarette, blowing the smoke into his face.

"Then pass the message on to the Battousai. The men will be held in the police station downtown until we can ascertain the reason why they were found in the state that they were." Saitou placed the cigarette in his mouth then brought his hands up to strike Sano in the chest in a quick movement which had him sliding back in the muddy street. Saitou called out over his shoulder as he walked away.

"Oh, and baka… If you try that again, I will kill you."

Sano was barely listening, thinking that this was a turn of events that Kenshin would want to know about.

The revenge for Kaoru's condition was going to be interesting, especially with an angry ex-hitokiri out to play.

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Kenshin had held Kaoru in his arms until she had cried herself to sleep. Feeling that her breathing had levelled out, he had tried to lay Kaoru back onto her futon and then move away again, lest he fall unto temptation. It seemed that someone out there had something against him because he had found that Kaoru was not willing to let go of his gi and cried out when he tried to physically remove himself from her clutches.

That was how he had ended up being her human pillow. Not that he minded, hell, he had enjoyed it a little more than he should have. She had curled herself around him as she slept. The way that she had thrown one leg over his and the way she made his chest a point on which she slept soundly was almost too enticing.

He had pulled the ribbon out of her hair and undone her braid, the silky strands parting as he had run his hands through her hair. She purred in her sleep at his light touch and he felt something inside him tighten, his resolve slowly breaking away.

Obviously he had not had much sleep last night, images of Kaoru and himself taking part in some interesting activities ran through his head before he threatened to knock himself out if he couldn't get at least an hour of sleep. He ended up getting three, waking as he felt Kaoru slowly make her way to the land of consciousness. He had found that he didn't want to move and watched her awaken, liking the way that her cheeks were flushed with sleep.

He smirked in the memory of the brief conversation that they had before stepping out of the room. If he had stayed any longer, he may have not been responsible for his actions, as it was he had felt the need for a very cold bath.

Focusing on the task at hand, Kenshin had almost finished making the breakfast as he felt a very happy ki approach the kitchen.

"Kenshin, you're gonna' love this…" Sano trailed off as he met Kenshin's eyes, his happiness fading away at Kenshin's tense form. Yahiko, who had stumbled into the room after the arrival of Sano, stared from one to the other, not really understanding what was taking place.

Kenshin turned back to the food that had almost completely cooked. It was earlier than they usually had their morning meal, but it seemed that if everyone was awake, then it would do well to feed people. Especially Kaoru, since she needed the energy to recover.

Sano's next attempt to talk was after he had set out their meal and put Kaoru's food on a tray, which he intended to bring to her room and feed her.

"Yahiko, take Jou-chan her food." Kenshin scowled at Sano, his eyes squinting as he watched as Yahiko almost scampered out of the room to avoid the confrontation which seemed to be inevitable.

"What do you want, Sanosuke?" His voice was quite deadly, but for once he didn't care.

"I think you would be interested in some information that I found when I was taking a little excursion… Information concerning three 'somethings' to be exact." Kenshin watched as Sano stared at him with an expectant expression. It was now that Kenshin took note of Sano's soaked appearance, his hair, once more, plastered to his head.

Thoughts connected to each other as he began to understand what he was getting at and why Sano had practically ordered Yahiko out of the room before announcing his findings.

"We can't keep them waiting now, can we?" Kenshin announced in the same deadly voice, letting his anger take over his very being.

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**A/N:** Thank you so much for ALL the reviews. You guys seriously ROCK! 

I hope to be more regular with the updating… even though I have previously mentioned this, I am trying to keep to my word.

If you liked/hated/were confused by the chapter, feel free to review!

Actually, just review. I like to know what you guys think of my fanfic.

xoxo


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Okay. First and foremost I would like to apologise for the lateness of this chapter. And thanks to Arwey for the most recent kick up the butt to remind me that I hadn't really stuck to my word of posting at equal intervals. Secondly, I realise that it isn't as long as everyone would have hoped for, but this is yet another "mini" chapter. It keeps the ball rolling and allows me some study time. Yay! For finals! Then I have a break in which I hope to post as much as I possibly can to make up for my late of posting-ness this semester.

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She heard the scampering of quick feet before her shoji door was pushed open and Yahiko stumbled in holding a tray of what looked like her breakfast. In his haste, his tripped on an invisible brick and began a downwards tumble with the help of gravity. Kaoru moved quickly saving the tray and whipping out a pillow for her young student to fall on. She hadn't countered on the pull of pain emitted from her ankle or the pull of the bandages across her cuts which caused the unfortunate incident of the spilling of her tea. 

Setting the tray carefully down beside the head of her uncoordinated charge, she sighed pulling out a clean rag she kept near the drawers for such incidents.

"Yahiko, you really should be careful when carrying hot food." She carefully cleansed her hand of the hot liquid before moving onto the sodden tray. Her breakfast would just have to have the slight taste of tea. From his sprawled position on the floor, the boy just moaned slightly before pulling himself up.

He had left her shoji door open and beyond it she could see two figures making off into the rain, both stalking seemingly in anger. It wasn't the two men that caught her attention however, it was the blue piece of cloth hanging from one of the beams across the porch.

Realising she was going to have a visitor within the next half hour, she sent Yahiko back to the kitchen to finish his meal and quickly finished her own before changing into her only other gi and hakama. She didn't think that she could manage on her own with a kimono, and judging by her almost inability to get into what she was now wearing, she highly doubted if she would be wearing a kimono in the next couple of days.

Her clothes smelled of the sandalwood she kept in the bottom of her drawer, the one she hardly ever opened. It contained a couple of outfits that she thought she would never take out of their sealed packaging. Sighing, she stared out into the rain soaked yard. Yahiko cautiously made his way back to her with a pot of tea and two cups moments later. He silently took her breakfast tray which lay abandoned behind her near her futon, the soaked material folded neatly on top to wash at another point in time.

She poured tea into the two cups and nodded. She took a calming breath at once more stared out into the empty courtyard which seemed to be forming into a small lake. On Yahiko's return she had watched him wiggle as he battled with the question circling in his head. And quickly realised he was going to ask about her new attire. Not wanting to get into a deep conversation with him, she answered as simply as she could before she was interrupted by another.

Tokio now sat across from her, sipping the tea that Yahiko had brought in to replace the spilt tea which had come with her breakfast. Kaoru had done her best to hide her injuries, not wanting the other woman to worry too much.

"Kaoru, you do realise we can't let you work in your condition." The other woman pierced her with her gaze and Kaoru gave up all pretence of hiding her pain.

"I'm sorry, Tokio. I realise I've set us back somewhat-"

"Set us back? My dear, you've provided us with more information that we could credit you with. The fact that you got injured this badly shows that we were working you too hard." Setting down her cup of tea, she reached into her kimono to pull out an envelope.

Massaging her temples in a circular motion, Kaoru watched as Tokio placed the envelope next to the tray between them, her movements smooth and graceful.

"Tokio, when I was injured, I wasn't doing anything." She commented wearily.

"What?" It was a quick response that had the older woman's eyebrows snapping together whilst she looked upon Kaoru with curiosity.

"I was on my way home after helping some of the injured who were turning up at the Akabeko last night and I was jumped." The shortened version sounded like the best way to deal with the current circumstance.

"This doesn't have anything to do with why my husband was dragged out of the house at the crack of dawn this morning, does it?" She commented wryly.

"By the way that both Kenshin and Sanosuke left this morning after Sanosuke's early morning ritual, it probably has." Tokio froze on her way to pick her cup back up off the tray. Frowning whilst continuing the paused movement she brought her cup up to sip.

"They have returned earlier than expected." Nodding in response, her brain clicked to action. Putting her own cup down, she then picked at the bandages on her ankle.

"I won't be able to get out without being watched, especially now." Slight exasperation crept into her voice. Tokio tilted her head in recognition of Kaoru's small outburst.

"It does make things seem somewhat more difficult than first thought."

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Yahiko walked to the Akabeko with his coat and hat, wondering how Kaoru had done it. One minute she had been watching him walk through the door, the next he was on the ground with a pillow underneath him and she had the tray. She would have had to have moved at what Yahiko considered super speed, which would match Kenshin's somewhat.

To have her then turn to him calmly and tell him to be more careful next time, was something he had not expected. The old Kaoru would have endlessly tormented him on his lack of being able to stand on his two feet properly. He supposed that he really shouldn't have expected any more, considering her reaction to anything in the past couple of weeks. Still, he wished that for once, she would act like normal.

He had gone back to the kitchen to eat his own meal, after his scandalous attempt at being a waiter but then had felt a heavy attack of guilt which had prompted him to make a new batch of tea and return carefully to her room. She had finished her meal and was staring out at the rain through the open shoji door, and had also managed to change from her night yukata into a training uniform which he had never seen before. He knew that her other one was past repair, and had contemplated buying her a new one for her birthday, but hadn't thought about if she actually owned another. She looked different wearing it, older, less Kaoru-like. He had cleared his throat before approaching cautiously. She had smiled slightly up at him and his gift.

"_Thank you, Yahiko. You really didn't have to."_ She exchanged her empty tray for his full one. After returning her empty tray to the kitchen, he had returned to her room to find she had poured them both a cup of tea that were waiting for his arrival. He sat on his knees next to her, but didn't reach for the cup. He moved uncomfortably before he attempted to ask where she had got the clothing she now wore. She answered him quietly without him ever having to ask the question.

"_It was a gift from my father. Before he died."_ He was opening his mouth to say something resembling comfort when he was interrupted by one of the scariest women he had come across in his life.

"_Kaoru-chan, what have you done to yourself?"_ The woman was tall and he cursed himself for not even noticing her approach, let alone her standing next to him. It was the response that Kaoru made which made him go white.

"_Saitou-san, what are you doing out in this weather?"_ He had been quickly bundled up in rain gear before being elegantly booted out of the house by none other than Saitou's wife to go check on the Akabeko and bring home some food for lunch.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts he almost missed someone calling out his name.

"Yahiko-chan? What are you doing here?" A young girl who had been bundled up in rain gear as much as he, was walking toward him carrying a heavy covered box.

"Tsubame, what have I said about not calling me chan?"

"Oh! Sorry Yahiko-chan. Oh!" She covered her mouth at her faux pas but he let it go.

"What are you doing in the rain?" He began walking at a slightly quicker pace, not wanting her to be in the rain longer than she had to.

"I had to get more supplies for Tae-san. We've been taking people in out of the storm all night and some who have come in have been injured, so we're providing some medical attention." Yahiko turned his head slightly to look at her profile and saw she looked exhausted.

"Don't you need a doctor to help you with that?" Yahiko asked, not wanting to be offensive, but wanting to be helpful and possibly offer to fetch one if they needed it.

"Well, we had Kaoru-san working with us last night until Tae-san sent her home. And then Megumi turned up really early this morning…" She paused mid sentence, for he had stopped suddenly in the street.

"You saw Kaoru last night?"

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Sano felt this was somewhat like what Kaoru liked to call deja-vu. He must have something remotely horrific in a past life for kami to subject him to such torture. Walking through the rain, _again_, with a very angry ex-hitokiri was never a pleasant experience. At least this time, he knew why the smaller man was so furious. They stalked all the way over to the police station without much communication between the two of them.

A couple weeks ago he would have expected a fiery response from the raven haired woman who had stolen the hearts of the men she lived with. Sano smirked as a particular sunny day replayed itself in his mind.

"_Come back here, brat!" A voice rang out through the courtyard as he sat lazily on the porch. A small object hurtled past him at high speeds, dust flying in its wake. Only after a bucket-like looking object flew past in the same direction, did he realise that the first object was Yahiko. Obviously the boy had said something remotely insulting for Kaoru to fly off the handle at him. Kenshin had looked up from his place by the laundry bucket to watch the young boy in his attempts to outrun his kendo instructor. She came around the corner, her face flushed with indignation, her gi gaping slightly in the front._

"_Oh, Yahiko." Her voice rang out with saccharine sweetness, her face a perfect picture of innocence, hiding the fact that she was attempting to figure out his location. _

"_If you can't find me, you can't punish me, busu!" The young boy's voice rang out from one of the trees in the yard. Smiling in triumph, she grabbed one of the shoes off her foot and threw it into the tree resulting in a collision and a young boy swearing colourfully down at Kaoru. Kenshin had stood at this point, a golden sheen appearing at one of the many obscene statements made by Yahiko – something to do with an animal trapped in a man's body – and responded in a somewhat rough manner._

"_Maa, maa. Sessha thinks everyone should calm down, that he does."_

Sighing softly and kicking his foot through the mud he thought about the changes to the dojo. Over the past month, it seemed, the roles had now been switched. Kaoru had become calm and non-responsive to any of the insults that Yahiko lobbed her way, and Kenshin could seemingly no longer hide his own anger. Sano had attempted to take a calming breath but was stopped by an angry response from the red-head.

"Sano, if you even attempt to calm yourself down, I will have to hurt you." Raising an eyebrow at the redhead beside him, he took in Kenshin's appearance. He seemed to exude an angry aura and had clenched his teeth so hard that Sano could almost hear them grinding over the rain pelting down on them. It didn't seem like Kenshin was suffering at all from the onslaught of the continuous droplets of rain that Sano encountered. To be fair, he had gone out earlier without having changed before returning once more to the swamp that was Tokyo. Although, he wouldn't be surprised if the anger the permeated from him scared the water molecules from even attempting to get near him.

They walked out of the rain and into the police station, the rain that had decided to continue with their journey marked the floor on which they strode. Kenshin stalked past the undermanned desk in the entrance and headed straight to the heart of the station, and Sano followed, not wanting to be on the ex-hitokiri-turned-rurouni's bad side.

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**A/N:** So I really hope that everyone enjoys this chapter and hopefully the next we'll see some more action. 

I realise that there are a couple problems with this chapter and I will attempt to correct them ASAP. No Kenshin in this chap, sorry! But he'll be in the next one, so it should be quite amusing to see what happens next (sorry, shameless plug there).

Please review! Even if you hated it, or have a problem with grammar, or if there are any unclear 'bits' that I haven't explained properly (in your opinion).

The more reviews, the better I understand how it's getting across to all you guys.

Thanks heaps to all who have reviewed/read my rk fanfic!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Apologies for the horrendously late update. There has been a hell of a lot happening lately, but it's the end of semester, so all I have left are a couple of exams and then I'm free for the rest of the summer. Fingers crossed anyway.

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They burst into the office of one Saitou Hajime, without much care for the man's privacy. He would know that they would be arriving; it would not be so easy to hide the bloodlust that was running so freely in his veins due to Kaoru's current condition. 

No one was allowed to touch what was his. Ever.

Saitou sat in his chair, smoking a cigarette, the smoke curling around him and creating a hazy atmosphere. The open window did nothing to suck the toxic air out of the office, all it seemed to do was enhance the thundering of the water upon the roof.

"You're back early Battousai." It was a statement, one which had him gritting his teeth in anger. Slamming his fists upon the desk, he almost growled his response –

"If I had been back earlier, none of this would have happened, Saitou." The name was spat in disgust, none of his kind rurouni words seeping into his speech. His golden eyes glowing, it seemed that emotion seemed to have gotten the best of him.

"I take it from that statement, that you were not responsible for the three men currently under my care. If that was not the reason, what is the purpose of this so called visit, Battousai?" Saitou drawled out in similar disgust.

"_Revenge_."

Sano shifted uncomfortably beside him, the anger that was radiating off Kenshin in waves, was probably more than he had ever felt in the past 10 years of his life. Kaoru had done nothing to deserve this, and those who were responsible were going to pay.

"Revenge, Battousai? What did these men do to you? They seem like petty drunkards and thieves to me." He blew out smoke slowly, and inhaled at the same speed.

"What are they to you, Battousai?" He squinted back at Kenshin, his eyes trying to figure out the explosion of anger in his ki, calculating eyes taking in his appearance. Kenshin clenched his teeth, grinding them in the process, his anger making the blood in his veins pump loudly in his ears.

"What has the silly Tanuki done this time?" Time seemed to slow as he pulled his sakabatou from its sheath at his hip. Holding it against Saitou's neck he ground his teeth.

"You will not refer to Kaoru in such a manner in my presence, Saitou."

"Well, well, Battousai. I didn't realise you had it in you." Cocking an eyebrow in response to the sword at his neck, he moved against the slight pressure of the blunt edge.

"Kenshin, he's not the one we want to deal with…" Sano's hesitant voice made it through the angry fog that seemed to be building a thick brick wall in his mind.

"They were found bound and knocked out. It took six of my dim witted subordinates to drag them back to the station. I think the question that we should ask ourselves is what did – _Kaoru_ – do to them?"

"I let you know as soon as I can have a little chat with them." Saitou brought his cigarette up and pulled on it, blowing out slowly. It looked as though Saitou was carefully weighing up his options.

"At this point, Battousai, I seriously doubt that you have a 'little chat' in mind with those baka's."

"Tell me where they are, or my conversation with them will be the least of your worries." There was a slight pause before Saito announced conversationally, with little regard to the sword at his neck.

"Usually, we give people the benefit of doubt when we find them on the street-" Kenshin growled in response to this particular comment, applying more pressure onto his opponent's neck.

"However, upon regaining consciousness, one of them decided to bring my mother into the equation." Saito's tone was dry without any response to the additional pressure against his neck.

"That is something for which they are now sitting quietly in their little jail cell."

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Tsubame made a small little noise in the back of her throat that he barely heard above the rain pelting down on his hat.

"Did I say something wrong?" Her voice was hesitant and shy. Yahiko felt bad for making her feel that way. Almost unconsciously their paths had intercepted and he had taken the box from her grasp.

"No! Of course not! I didn't mean for it to sound the way it did…" He started moving towards the Akabeko, and she stepped into follow him.

"_Don't ever lose that pride you have"_ Kenshin's voice reverberated through his mind as Tsubame walked quietly beside him.

"It's just that, something bad happened to Kaoru last night and I–" A small gasp from Tsubame interrupted his sentence.

"Is she alright? She looked tired when she left. Tae tried to tell her to stay, but she insisted she had to go home to you…" If anything, Tsubame's soft spoken words made himself feel worse about his predicament. Hello guilt trip.

Kaoru had gone out of her way for his welfare, something which no one since his mother had done. It was hard when he thought of his mother. He had watched her fade away, slowly at first, but once the sickness had taken hold of her, the more quickly her decline. She had pleaded with the yakuza for money for his education, for his care, which they had given, with the promise that one day he would have to pay back those debts – with interest.

When she had passed away, they had pulled him out of school and had taught him the art of 'bringing in his debts'. He had learnt quickly, his nimble fingers enabling him to get away with his payments. They were able to the way he lived his life, but they were never able to make him choose who his targets were. He had chosen older men, those with an unkind look in their eyes, without pity or emotion.

He had been desperate the day Kenshin had 'caught' him. There had been no one that he had thought to be a reasonable target so he had to pick randomly or he would be at risk of upsetting the boss. His undoing, retrospectively thinking, had been that small child. He couldn't bear to be responsible for someone to go without a present, given so lovingly, from a doting grandfather. He had been like that once.

Kaoru was strong, she looked out for him when he didn't think anyone would but most of all she was kind. He was the reason she was hurt and she had spent time last night to tell him he wasn't. _"You had no authority over any of the events that transpired today." _

He realised he wasn't directly responsible, but still he held the responsibility to some extent – at least he thought so.

"Yahiko?" Tsubame's voiced seemed quiet in comparison to the rain battering against his body. He blinked and turned his head toward her voice, finding himself just outside the Akabeko, with Tsubame standing in the doorway.

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The rain cut through the silence that seemed to echo around her as she sat on the wooden porch. The dull thuds thrust upon the roof proved to be little distraction as she stared out onto the water wonderland that had presented itself in her yard. It would take a long time for the sun, when it came out from its cloudy surroundings, to clear the amount of water that could become a very sizable pond.

Perhaps she should just buy some fish – or more fish anyway, considering that she already had many koi in her mother's pond. Her mother had had a great fascination with the water, her father had told her with a warm glint in his eye. Sometimes Kaoru would feel a little left out, because she was unable to access memories like her father could. Other times, she was grateful that she couldn't remember anything – the pain that her father had gone through seemed enough for both of them.

Not wanting to further her own misery she blocked her mind to any negative thought, focusing on the sound of the rain, and finally letting her mind wander.

She didn't really stand much to lose by staring out into her rain soaked yard. From where she sat, she could see the spot which Kenshin chose to do the laundry. She hadn't really thought about his choice of location much but now that she had the time, her eyes wandered through her yard and the rurouni's locations.

They always seemed to be in sight of her room, which was somewhat strange, considering the wooden posts, which in dry weather held newly washed items, were over on the other side of the yard, closer to the fence than where Kenshin chose to do his daily tasks. It was also a fair distance from the well. When she had done her washing herself, she had usually chosen a spot equi-distant from the posts and the well. So she wouldn't be carrying heavy wet clothes for a far distance, or buckets of water to wash through the clothes.

She brought her knee up close to her chest and rested her chin on it, her sprained ankle resting on the wooden floor, elevated by a folded towel that Tokio had left her with.

She shouldn't have been moving around as much as she had, but she was restless with nothing left for her to do. The fact that she couldn't do anything but sit and shuffle around when her derrière got numb was slightly frustrating to say in the least. At least her brain hadn't been impaired otherwise she had a feeling that she would be rocking back and forth and talking to herself – not that it wasn't going to happen anytime in the near future. However, if Kenshin, Sano or Yahiko didn't come back soon, it would be very likely that they would be returning to her doing said activity.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly, mentally shaking out all the knots and creases that were wrecking havoc on her mind. It was a relaxing technique she had adopted from Aoshi, not that he would know. Perhaps if she took up green tea, he would get a clue.

Honestly, the man was a human wall made of ice. Nothing fazed him or seemed to penetrate his thick skull, and that was a constant source of frustration of both herself and Misao. One day, they would get to him, until then, Misao would have to learn a little patience, but still keep up her over-enthusiastic attitude towards him.

If only it were that simple with Kenshin. Now, he was a man that was even more frustrating than Aoshi. Which, if she really thought about it, was really saying something.

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Sano shifted guiltily in Saitou's office, uncomfortable with the whole situation. Seeing Kenshin, the once immovable, courteous rurouni, hold a police office at sword point – even if it was Saitou – was not something he had on his 'to do' list. Perhaps he should have just told the tall stupid office everything when they had been standing in the over-watered street. However, any sense of justice to Kaoru wouldn't have been carried out.

Dealing with an angry Kenshin had seemed the best way to deal with the situation. It was a plus that rehabilitation – when Kenshin dealt with people – was usually very good. Sano really hadn't really considered the re-appearance of the Battousai would factor into his plan. This would have to be one of those times in which he would have to admit that he hadn't really thought his actions through. Of course he wanted revenge, but above that, he wanted justice – which – he thought, picturing an injured Kaoru, would be something that she would want, even with all her naivety attached.

He watched the sword that was still held against Saito's neck. He could see Kenshin's jaw clench and upon hearing that the men were in the cells downstairs, the sword was slowly removed. Sano released is breath in relief, only to find himself the object of an amber eyed glare, one which had him contemplating. On one hand, those men who had hurt Kaoru should be in line for some pain, but on the other, Kaoru seemed to have been able to get her own back. It wasn't as if they had come back to seek revenge on her. But then, he reasoned with himself, Kenshin would be justified in kicking their sorry butts back where they came from. It was a somewhat circular argument that he probably shouldn't entertain, however he was looking out for Kaoru, and she deserved justice.

It was then that he realised he was standing in front of the doorway. Finding himself in the tricky position of either facing the wrath of Kenshin and his anger or saving those men from that anger – a position which was not exactly where he wanted to be with less than four hours of sleep.

"Sanosuke, remove yourself from the doorway." Kenshin told him in a cold voice. Knowing that Kenshin would possibly regret any action taken by the Battousai in anger, he stood his ground. It was Saitou who saved him from answering; he had stood up and walked around his desk.

"Battousai, if I were you, I wouldn't do anything that your _precious_ Kaoru would be ashamed of." His tone lacked any care what-so-ever and yet Sano felt that the officer had found the right niche to pull Kenshin back from his anger.

"What would you know, Saitou?" Kenshin rasped in response to the statement that was thrown at him. Blowing cigarette smoke out, Saitou smirked back at the small red head standing in front of Sano.

"Much more than you think Battousai. Much more than you think."

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**A/N:** Although there wasn't a lot of plot going on, I needed to draw together some of the loose ends that seem to dangle endlessly in front of me. I hope you enjoyed the update, feel free to review! 


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Sorry for the long delay. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and hopefully I'll be more able to update at least somewhat regularly from now on.

Disclaimer: I don't own RK. I am merely borrowing it.

* * *

"What do you mean by that?" Sano spat out and then baulked at having both Saitou and a glowering Kenshin glare at him. Albeit, they were glaring for very different reasons, however, having two of the most dangerous men from the revolution glaring at him was somewhat unnerving.

"Exactly what it means baka-tori, exactly what it means." The room was silent for a moment before the red-head before him had once again launched himself at Saitou.

"What exactly do you know – wolf?" At sword point once again, the tall yellow–eyed man barely blinked, only exhaled an enormous amount of smoke – a result of another one of his foul cigarettes.

"Kamiya Kaoru, the only offspring of Koshijiro and Aniko. Currently 18 years of age, became orphaned at 15 years of age when her father was killed at the Satsuma Rebellion. Her mother died of a wasting disease when she was 2. She is a distant relation of one Doctor Gensei. Highly skilled at the Kamiya-Kasshin Ru, she attained the title of assistant master at age 13. She is also known as the 'Rose of Kenjutsu'. Before the arrival of one Himura Kenshin, Kamiya had been courted by a total of 15 men, all attempts faile–" Saitou was cut off once again by Kenshin's blade forcing itself against his throat.

"Enough." The word was ground out and sounded more like a growl than anything else.

"Show me where they are." Saitou had stared directly at Kenshin for a few moments before hurrumphing and gestured towards the door – still at sword point. 

"In order for me to move, Battousai, you need to remove your sword." Raising an eyebrow at the weapon pointed at his jugular vain, it was yet another moment before Kenshin had once more removed the sword and sheathed it. His hand remained on the handle by his side. Sano saw a flicker of distaste in Saito's eyes before he shouldered past him to get through the door.

Now following the two men in front of him to the jail cells, he had some time to mull over the information that Saitou had sprouted. Given that he was a police officer, he would have access to Kaoru's files, but to know them off the top of his head… There was something slightly off about that. The tall policeman knew more than just those kinds of details, he was sure of it. Kenshin had cut him off for good reason though. Impatient did not sit well on the Battousai.

"_Sano, if you could stop arguing with me long enough to stop feeling sorry for yourself you would realize that you're surrounded by friends and family. Don't throw it all away on stupid fights." It was the point where she mentioned family that had his head rear up. _

"_Family? I don't see any family here at all." His eyes were furious as he glared at the petite woman, almost so furious with her he almost missed the slight gasp. However, he couldn't miss the blood draining away from her already pale skin, or the way that her hand flew to her mouth and tears had appeared in his eyes._

"_You're my family Sano. You, Yahiko and Kenshin. You're there when I need you. You may not be of blood relation Sano, but it's close enough. You're MY family." Her voice was wobbly and it almost broke his heart. As she turned to head back into the house he lightly touched her shoulder and she halted._

"_I'm sorry Kaoru." And he meant it. He was such an idiot and anger had always got the best of him which made him say things before he thought of the consequences._

"_Families forgive, Sano. Just… don't belittle us so easily, we've known you the least longest but we know you the most."_

Information about Kaoru weren't just facts. They were emotions, memories all balled up into one. Saitou had said nothing about how she was possibly one of the strongest women he had ever met, how she could make the day brighter by just existing. It was amazing how much impact one person could make on someone's life and yet Kaoru seemed to do it so easily. He would undoubtedly be lost without her.

Sano now stood by the door of the jail cell with Saitou, both carefully watching Kenshin as he stared at the three men huddling in cell.

"I don't need a bodyguard to deal with them." Kenshin had announced whilst glaring at Saitou. Sano had no doubt that the Battousai didn't want any witnesses.

"I don't doubt that Battousai, but they do." The acid response had the three men behind the bars glance around nervously at each other.

* * *

Yahiko shook his head to clear his mind. It wouldn't help anything to stand in the doorway or the rain. Although he should worry about Kaoru, he knew that at this particular time there was nothing he could do about it. Stepping into the Akabeko he found himself almost lost at its sudden transformation of usual customers. Usually it was full of happy jostling people stuffing their faces with Akabeko's famous beef pot, instead he found himself face to face with misery and an almost glum atmosphere. 

There was a dreary murmur that hummed throughout the restaurant, people we formed in close groups, many wearing blankets as clothing hang from the screens in an attempt to dry. He could see Megumi hustling back and forth between the multitude of people, her tall figure ghosting over many of her surroundings. He was about to ask Tsubame where she wanted to put the box which was currently soaking the front of his gi, when a loud feminine cry worked it's way through the crowd from somewhere near the back of the restaurant.

Suddenly a woman could be heard moaning loudly in the background, the sound more striking than any of the other noises in the busy restaurant.

"It's coming! Sensei? Sensei!" A frantic male voice made its way in almost the same fashion. Yahiko watched as Megumi straightened from her kneeling position while inspecting a small child, who seemed in good health apart from a good dose of mud, and almost immediately strode to where the voices had come from tossing a few choice words over her shoulder.

"Yahiko! Don't just stand there! Make yourself useful, I need a bucket of warm water and lots of towels."

Gob-smacked, Yahiko immediately acted upon those orders, wondering how she could have possibly seen him through the throng. He was never one to directly disobey anyone who was so dedicated to helping others. Scrambling to gather all the implements, he hurried to Megumi's side.

The birth of the child happened so quickly that Yahiko barely had time to think. At one point Megumi was ordering the sweat and rain soaked woman to push and the next minute a wail of a baby was heard over the din that was the Akabeko. The mother slumped wearily into her husbands' arms as they both stared at the small child that Megumi placed into the woman's loose embrace. To Yahiko, the family, for that was what they were now, looked complete and he wondered about his own family. It was made up of Kaoru, Kenshin, Sano and, as much as he was weirded out to admit it, Megumi. Although they didn't have any sort of blood relation, it felt like home. 

_They were sitting out on the porch, the evening was clear and the stars sparkled faintly in the sky above them. Both Kenshin and Sano were out on a job for the police so it was just Kaoru and him, sitting, for once, in peaceful company._

"_Kaoru?" He wasn't sure why he had said her name, but something within him felt like he needed to._

"_Yahiko?" She replied, turning her head to watch him questioningly._

"_What was is like?" The words blurted out of his mouth before he even registered his question._

"_What was what like?" She asked so patiently, like she knew he didn't know what he was asking, yet knowing where it was headed at the same time._

"_To have been alone for so long?" She closed her eyes at his finished question, turning away from him and pointing her face towards the sky. It was quite for a few moments before she spoke again._

"_Painful. But once I realized that I still had people looking out for me, like Tae and Doctor Gensai, then it hurt a little less. And later on, when you all turned up on my doorstep it hurt a lot less." She turned toward him again with a faint smile._

"_But Yahiko, you have me. You have Sano and Megumi. And you definitely have Kenshin. It's my hope that you'll never have to experience that kind of pain. Ever. We are yours and you are ours."_

He was shaken out of his reverie by a sudden announcement.

"I am pleased to announce the birth of my son. My wife has just given birth to my first born. I love you Asiko." The man stood tall and proud and beamed down at his wife and child before bowing at the applause that had broken out in the Akabeko.

"Yuck, why would you announce that in public" Yahiko scrunched his noise and glanced up at Megumi. They had stood back to leave the new parents to their child.

"Yahiko, sometimes you have the emotional capacity of an ant" Megumi waspishly told him, whacking him slightly on the upside of the head.

"What would you know anyway?" The childish retort spurting out of his mouth almost instantaneously. He looked up at the woman standing next to him in time to watch her eyes sparkle dangerously.

"I know that you're not taking care of Kaoru – who is one of the world's most easiest women to please I might add" Her arms crossed themselves as she rose an eyebrow at him, her voice coming out cold as ice.

"I'm doing what you told me to! Spending my pay to give the busu nice things, what more do you want? It was hard enough to interpret your strange ice-block sayings in the first place…" In frustration Yahiko scratched the back of his head. Megumi had cocked her head to one side questioningly.

"You know… With the whole tide thing? The giving of stuff…" He finished off unsure. Cinnamon eyes widened slightly before closing accompanied by a sigh. She brought her hands up to massage her temples before finally rolling her eyes, the tall doctor focused on Yahiko once more.

"What I was talking about was emotion. Of love. Kaoru, the silly tanuki, against better judgement I might add, loves each and every one of you insolent males who she keeps at the dojo. Yet do you return that love? Yahiko – before you interrupt – I know that giving her gifts is a way of showing that you care, but see it from her point of view. Does she know those 'gifts' that she finds are from you?" She asked lightly, unaccusingly.

"No…" He drew his answer out, creasing his eyebrows trying to understand her point. I mean, surely it was enough that he was giving her presents. She didn't really _need_ to know they were from him, it would just make him look all girly.

"Then how can she know that you care?"

"But…" He attempted to butt in.

"Yahiko, sometimes people need to be told that they are appreciated." Oh. That made sense. Yahiko could have hit himself for missing something that important.

* * *

Kenshin stalked to the bars glowering at the pathetic tangle of limbs sprawled before him.

"Which one of you owns a blade?" His voice was soft, menacing. He hoped to scare them all. Part of him wanted to punish them to the point that the shadows of passing clouds would have them in hysterics. The other half of him was applauding his Kaoru for the bodily harm that she had inflicted upon the sorry excuse of the men before him.

"Who the hell are you and when are we going to be released?" The first part of the statement was seemingly directed to Kenshin as he stood before them, the second to Saitou, who was standing behind him. The sound of a blade being drawn cut the man off from continuing his rant and he gulped audibly.

"Ken – " Sano began to say before he was cut off by Saitou

"Battousai, I suggest you keep the bloodshed to a minimum – I would hate to see the only respectable articles of clothing you own get all bloody" The men in the cell blanched visibly.

"If I wanted your opinion – wolf – I would ask for it." The voice that replied was as cold as ice, as Kenshin inspected the hands of the men before him. Seeing the tell tale callous' on the hands of one who uses a blade, the sakabatou was swung to the neck of the man who owned them.

"You're the police! You can't do anything to protect us?!" The largest man, seemingly at wits end, cried in Saitou's direction.

"Aku Zku. Zan. Slay evil immediately. If it was up to me, you would be dead already." Saitou drawled from somewhere in the background.

"Kenshin, jou-chan would not appreciate this…" Sano began from behind him.

"Zanza, let the Battousai have his fun." It seemed that the wolf knew the price of threatening what was his.

"Zanza? The fighter for hire? I'll pay you to protect me! I have the money!" The man with the blade at his throat yelled.

"Ex-fighter for hire. Don't even talk to me. It's not my conscience who I'm trying to save. If it was up to me, you guys would be dog meat, but I have someone at home who doesn't believe that violence is the answer to everything."

With the mention of Kaoru he was reminded of how her soft delicate skin was marred by the damage that these men had inflicted. The way that her eyes were no longer filled with joy and happiness and instead were oddly blank and angry. Although, come to think of it, her eyes had been strangely void of anything much longer than just last night.

"_Kenshin?"_

"_Hai Kaoru-dono?"_

"_If you were given the choice to follow in the footsteps of your parents or to lead a life with no purpose but one filled with almost happiness, what would you chose?"_

"_Sessha did not have that choice, but perhaps the path which your heart leads you is the one that you should take."_

"_Ah, demo… Do you think happiness is something you cultivate for yourself or something that just happens?"_

"_Kaoru-dono, Sessha thinks that happiness will find you wherever you are." Kaoru quirked her mouth to one side at his answer and then silently walked away leaving Kenshin at a loss to words. She hadn't smiled but rather acknowledged his statement before moving on. Some time between one heartbeat and the next he realized that she had been asking for advice. And he had not given her the answer that she was seeking._

"Do you even realize what you have done?" Kenshin asked softly, his eyes taking in the three men now huddled together, standing behind the man with the blade at his throat, as though it would give them some sort of protection.

"So we gave some broad a hard time. It was all for a bit of fu – " The blade pressed against the man's throat and this time a line of blood was drawn where the tip rested against skin.

"You attacked an injured woman with the intention of taking advantage of her. That is unacceptable." His voice low and dangerous, he watched as the man, to whom his blade was held against, pale, his eyes widening with horror. Bloodlust was now coursing through his veins as he thought of how Kaoru had returned last night. 

"It is also against the law." Saitou added from behind him, the acrid smell of smoke indicating the wolf had lit up another cigarette behind him.

"It's against the law to carry a sword…" one of the men spoke up from behind his comrades.

"What's it to you anyway?" Spat another. This time it was directed at Kenshin and his anger rose to the point of no return.

"That woman…" Kenshin growled, his eyes burning with hatred.

"Is mine."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I'm really sorry for the extended delay on this chapter. I've had a lot of negative life events over the past year and I hope that you'll all forgive me. I do intend on finishing this story!

Disclaimer: I still (sadly) do not own RK & its characters.

* * *

Kaoru began humming to herself. She was really quite bored. She couldn't do anything that remotely resembled some sort of movement and thus felt like a trussed up chicken. Tokio had left her with strict instructions not to do anything and to let the "buffoons you live with handle any of the work that needed to be done" and to just "relax, sit tight and heal". Instructions which consequently left her with nothing to do.

She wasn't used to doing nothing, it grated with her personality. When she was younger she was constantly running this way and that, as she grew she became more involved with teaching and helping out, and then when her father had been conscripted into battle and had died, she had taken over.

She hadn't ever been left with nothing to do, even as her student numbers dwindled. She had known about her fathers extracurricular activities, having been brought up by a father who taught her not only the Kamya Kasshin Ryu, but also ways to keep herself hidden, not drawing attention to herself and management of emotions. The latter she was never brilliant at, but with the rest she had excelled. When Kenshin and the others had arrived, it had given her much more of a work-out than she had imagined. Sneaking out, pretending that she was completely oblivious and coming up with excuses to leave for meetings during the day were slightly draining. But it was all part of her life. It kept her busy. And now… She had nothing to do. The only highlight was that she would be able to use the time to heal a couple of the bruised ribs she had acquired and have some time for some of the other bruises about her person to fade away. The balm, which Meguimi had made for Kenshin and his antics, had been used for her purposes. Not that anyone would notice, with Yahiko and Sano constantly running in and out of fights, she was pretty sure that it wouldn't be missed.

As the rain kept falling heavily she watched the courtyard she sighed. Her hair was too heavy to leave up for such a long period of time so she had pulled the ribbon out and let her hair fall over her shoulders. She fingered the dark blue hakama, wondering how her father would see her. She hoped that she had made both her parents proud.

"_Otousan? Do you think that people who have died watch over you?" She watched as her father's hands stilled mid-stroke as he cleansed his battle sword, something that he did every week to stop it from rusting._

"_Why do you ask Kaoru?" It was a soft question, and she bit her lip as she contemplated whether she would continue with her line of thought._

"_Someone mentioned it to Rewaito-san, you know, whose mother just passed? And I was just wondering…" Her sentence faded out as she watched her father put his sword to his side and turned to fully focus his attention on her. It wasn't often that she mentioned the word 'mother' in front of her father, knowing that he still missed his wife dearly. And it hurt that she could barely remember her, this woman who her father still loved._

"_I think that people who have died do watch over us, and are with us wherever we go." He replied carefully, looking her in the eyes as he said so without a trace of doubt._

"_How do you know that people who have died are watching over you?" She asked back, looking down at her hands and plucking her sleeves. Her father reached over and captured her hands in his softly._

"_Because sometimes I can almost feel your mother watching over us. There are moments when I can almost feel her happiness and her pride, especially when you compete hime-chan. It's almost like feeling you're being wrapped in a giant ball of cotton and for that instant, I feel safe." She looked up into her father's worn face, her knight in shining armour, seeing the almost tears in his eyes._

"_I hope that one day you will be able to recognize that your mother is watching over everything thing you do. And she is so proud hime-chan, so very proud. As am I." And with that pronouncement his voice slightly cracking with emotion, he bundled her into his lap and hugged her. And she felt like the most special 9 year old in the world. It was almost like being wrapped in sunshine._

Leaning back against the pole behind her, she pulled her uninjured leg to her chest and hugged it wishing her parents were there, but knowing that if they were she wouldn't have Kenshin, Sano or Yahiko. And that was something she was unable to fathom. Even though she had suffered and she had lost in the past, she had what she wanted in the present. A family. As she looked over the pond that was her yard she felt like she was being slowly wrapped in cotton, and for the first time in a long while, she understood, her face breaking into a real smile.

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Kenshin glared directly into the eyes of the man he held at sword point, uncaring that all the men had positively squeaked at his proclamation. He clenched his jaw, slowly rotating the blade against the sorry excuse for a man in front of him. All three of them were now as white as sheets. He wanted to inflict as much harm to these men for even thinking of hurting his Kaoru. The man in front had been limping, in a state worse than Kaoru, his eyes still wide with fear. These men, with all their false bravado had been beaten into unconsciousness. By a woman. Albeit a woman trained to fight only in defence, but a small delicate fiery, _singular _woman, nonetheless. Not only had Kaoru entered the fight with a disadvantage of being injured, but she had outsmarted them and had survived a 3-to-1 fight. Which made him pause. She did have the capacity to look after herself. But he didn't want her to have to. She _was_ his. She just didn't know it yet.

"Ah… Kenshin?" Sano's voice broke through his thoughts. Kenshin's sword was still at the man's throat, but instead of looking white and scared, the man looked positively petrified. Almost as if he was living his worst nightmare.

Which, Kenshin reasoned, was most probably true. The anger that was surging through him would be enough to turn his eyes the angry amber that he was associated with back in the revolution, and his hair was up, those two elements, combined with the lack of his normal attire (the magenta gi would normally soften the almost brutal way he came across his opposition) would most probably cause some sort of fear. His gaze unforgiving, his body language screaming for blood, he believed that this would instil the kind of fear he could utilize to scare these men into thinking that pain would be a wonderful thing compared to what he was willing to inflict the three before him.

Firstly, he would have to deal with the bars which inadvertently protected the three men from him. The men, it seemed, had decided it was best to keep their mouths shut in the presence of Kenshin, Sano and Saitou.

"The keys, wolf." He held out his hand in the direction of the tall policeman who was standing behind his left shoulder. One of the men let out a small whimper of distress.

"Kenshin, I don't think Kao –" Kenshin cut Sano off before he could finish his sentence.

"These men injured her Sanosuke. For that, they will pay dearly" He ground out, his hand still held out for the keys.

"They're already paying for it!" Sano burst out, now standing between Saitou and Kenshin, pushing his hand away.

"Not enough." Kenshin withdrew his sword from the prisoner and then turned to point it against Sano. Kenshin could hear the audible sigh of relief behind him and he turned to glower at the man once more, splitting his attention between Sano and the sad excuse for a man.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that you were trying to _protect_ these men." The anger that he was attempting to keep in check was fighting against his will. Fighting in its anger to protect Kaoru and to harm the men who hurt her.

"I didn't tell you about this so you could kill them!" Sano burst out against the sword at his neck, his anger making him seem much larger than his already tall frame.

"Then you should have thought about it earlier Sanosuke." The tension in the room was escalating to a point of no return, the room vibrating with the mixture of emotions – fear and anger. There was a brief silence before Sano sighed.

"I'm not protecting them, Kenshin, I'm protecting Kaoru" Sano grabbed the blunt edge of the sword with his hand, uncaring of the display they were now having in front of the men in their cell. Kenshin could practically smell their fear, petrified that he was fighting against the 'good guys' turning him into some kind of rebel.

"Protecting Kaoru by protecting them? I don't think that you've thought this through." Kenshin growled whilst he attempted to pull the sword from Sano's grasp without hurting the man who was clearly set on saving the three men from his anger.

"Do you really think she would look at you the same way if you went back on your vow to never kill again? How do you think she would feel if she knew she was the reason for it?" The statement made him pause.

"_I don't care about the person you were! Just the person you are now. Kenshin, why can't you see that?" She touched his hand, and he could feel her willing him to look at her. Watching her though his bangs, he saw her spirit in its full glory. She forgave him of his prior sins and was allowing him to stay because she knew he wouldn't stray from his oath._

He dropped his sword from his friend's throat, sheathing it at his side. His anger, whilst somewhat subdued, still bubbled underneath the surface.

"I made a promise, an oath, never to shed life again. But it does not mean that I will leave them unpunished."

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Sano sighed in relief, along with the men in the cell behind Kenshin, although he could still see them quivering in fear, unsure of whatever punishment the small angry man would inflict on them. Not only did he manage to save the lives of those particular nasty scums of the earth, but also saved Kaoru from a lot of heartache. Watching the deadly anger drain out of Kenshin was something of which he was proud. Knowing that Kaoru was the cause was also quite telling of the man who was previously thought to be made of stone. This turning of the tide, particularly where Kaoru was concerned also had Sano at quite a loss. Surely it was not just the incident that had changed Kenshin's mind about pursuing Kaoru. The way that she was suddenly slipping away from them all may have had something to do with it.

"_I'm going to the markets." Kaoru had announced, her hair in its normal ponytail and her kimono in its usual order, with her obi faultlessly tied. Sano, who had a perfect spot on the wall had been watching the street below him, changed his object of scrutiny. Watching the interactions between Kenshin and Kaoru had become somewhat of an interest of his. Especially since he had money riding on when they would actually hook up. _

"_If Kaoru-dono will wait a couple more minutes, sessha can accompany her –" Kaoru waved a hand at Kenshin cutting him off. Well, Sano thought, this was new. It also turned the bet in Katsu's favour, that Kaoru would tire of the Rurouni's obliviousness to her feelings._

"_You don't have to worry Kenshin, I'm only going to collect a couple things." She turned to leave, but had hardly moved when Kenshin started to speak._

"_But…" Kenshin seemed slightly flabbergasted. Usually Kaoru would smile and then wait for him to finish whatever chore he had managed to pick up, but this was the first time she had refused his company. Sano scratched his head looking from one to the other, almost as surprised with this change of events as the rurouni below him._

"_Kenshin, I can go myself, you're clearly in the middle of something. I don't expect you to come with me everywhere I go." Kenshin's face seemed to frown, but it was quickly hidden underneath a carefully constructed rurouni mask._

"_If you're sure Kaoru-dono" Kenshin announced carefully. From his position on the wall, Sano could see how the small red head's hands clenched around the item of clothing he was washing. A sign that the rurouni was anything but calm. His hands always seemed to give his emotions away, but first you had to know that it was his weakness. He didn't doubt that Kaoru knew about it, but she chose to ignore it in this case. Shaking her head, she continued to walk toward the gates past Kenshin._

"_I'm positive, you don't have to worry about me. There are dozens of people at the market, I'll be perfectly safe." With a slight smile, she had hurried toward the gate and slipped outside it without looking back once._

Now, whilst he watched as Kenshin tormented the three men behind the bars with his mere presence, his mind was going over what had occurred since he had returned. Not just the issue with Kaoru's attack, but he was going over what Saitou had been saying. Clearly the man knew more than what he was letting on.

"_Kaoru said you would be gone at least three weeks-"_

"_You're back early Battousai."_

What was really interesting was that both Saitou and Karou had believed that on the length of their mission would be of longer duration and both Saitou and Yahiko had commented on their early return. Sano and Kenshin had been sent to Kyoto by Saitou to work out some intelligence issues which the Meiji government could not be seen to be involved in. Only Saitou and the upper echelons of the government had any idea behind the real reason of their trip, so how could Kaoru know about their timeframe? Granted, it should have taken them a while to gather all the information they were seeking however they had also used the Oniwanbanshu to quicken the process, instead of working the issues out by themselves. The ninja group had heightened their resources since the return of Aoishi, therefore, work that would have taken them several weeks, was done and completed in a matter of two. Kenshin had even had time to visit Hiko on his lone mountain, leaving Sano on his own for two days. Two very worthwhile days. He had a chance to seek out some of his personal investments. Which was a success. Katsu had established a good rapport with some contacts in Kyoto which meant that Sano was able to utilize them to their utmost capacity.

"Clearly there is some intelligence underneath that ridiculous hair of yours baka-tori." Saitou breathed smoke on him once more, relieving him of his jaunt down memory lane. At that particular moment in time, Sano wished the man would choke on that cigarette. For once, he wished that the stupid policeman would have an ounce of humanity in him.

"Just because I don't want them killed Saitou" Sano replied, drawing out the man's name. "Does not mean that I don't want them to remain unpunished." He stared up at the man who was now watching Kenshin prowl back and forth in front of the bars.

"He hasn't always been this protective." The policeman seemed somewhat astounded by the small red head's behaviour, his voice dipped low so that only Sano could hear.

"You don't get out much, do you Saitou?"

"What's that supposed to mean baka-tori?" Saitou growled back.

"When it concerns jou-chan, nothing stands in his way." He hesitated before continuing.

"Clearly there's something in this for you or else you would have baited Kenshin even more." The man just blew smoke in his face as a response.

"I've never seen him close to this angry since the revolution." The policeman murmured under his breath, his eyebrows coming to form a frown. Sano paused, considering the man beside him. It wasn't often that Saitou managed to show some sort of shred of decency. Not sure that he liked seeing this side of the man, he finished off his previously held back sentence, wondering what kind of response it would provoke.

"Or worse, you could have given him the keys." The man looked down at the cigarette between his fingers, rolling it slightly before raising an eyebrow and drawling out his next sentence meeting whilst meeting Sano's gaze unblinkingly.

"Battousai, the keys are behind the door on your left. If you wouldn't mind getting this over and done with, I have actual work to do."

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Yahiko stood staring at Megumi for what seemed like hours before Tae called out over the slight hum of conversations being held in the akabeko.

"Yahiko? Is that you?" Turning toward the voice he suddenly remembered why he was so elegantly booted out of his home.

"Lunch! I'm here for lunch!" Megumi frowned at him whilst stepping to one side, allowing room for Tae who had bustled over through the multitudes of people who filled her restaurant.

"Oh good. Kaoru sent you over. I was half expecting her to keel over last night, so I offered for her to stay the night. She said she wanted to get back to you." This was announced with a distinct quickness, the words seemingly falling out of her mouth, typical of someone who usually gave orders. Yahiko blinked at Tae, trying to work out what the woman had just said. When it finally clicked, it made him feel even worse.

"Actually… Saitou-san sent me to get lunch…" He began uncertainly, twisting the material of his gi in his hands.

"Saitou-san told you to get lunch?" Tae asked blankly. Megumi, who looked slightly worse for wear, still managed to pick up on Yahiko's nervousness. Her sharp eyes now watching him as he now was not only scrunching his sleeves, but also seemed to be looking for some kind of escape route, his eyes darting around the room, attempting to avoid eye contact with the two women in front of him.

Kaoru had been worried about him. She should have stayed at the Akabeko. He wouldn't have minded. Much. He would have been worried but if that's what it took to keep her safe…

"Yahiko. Why is Saitou-san asking you to pick up lunch?" Megumi asked slowly.

"Well Kaoru agreed with it…" He began before Tae interrupted him.

"Will Kaoru be by later? She was such a help last night." He stared at his hands before answering her.

"She's at home. She won't be able to do anything for a while…" He said slowly.

"Oh no! Did she get sick! I knew I should have given her a hat and a coat, but when I remembered, she was already gone. Never mind. I have soup and…" She turned away and started mumbling to herself, making a list of food she had bubbling away in the kitchen.

"It's not that…" He announced louder than he initially intended, at which both women who had been moving off in opposite directions turned around their faces full of inquiry.

"Kaoru did get home last night, didn't she, Yahiko?" Tae asked with a distinct slowness.

"Well, yes. But…"

"Is Kaoru sick, Yahiko?" Megumi asked sharply, her eyes focusing on him. Having both women look at him in such a forceful way was slightly intimidating.

"She's not sick per se…" He began.

"Spit it out Yahiko!" Tae snapped, her entire demeanour completely changing. Wanting to get it all out before he was interrupted again, he took a deep breath.

"Sheranintothreeguyswhotriedtotakeadvantageofhersoshe'sathomerecuperating!" Tae and Megumi looked at each other blankly before they sat him down on a chair.

"I'm sorry Yahiko, but you're going to have to speak slower for us to understand you" Tae said kindly, with a scarily calm face. Yahiko immediately knew how cows felt before they were lead to slaughter.

"What. Is. Wrong. With. Kaoru?" As a doctor, he could respect her, but she really knew how to freak people out. But her voice calmed him somewhat, his nerves slowly beginning to calm.

"She was attacked on her way home last night…" Tae gasped, cutting off his sentence, shock written all over her face.

"What?!" Megumi's reaction was almost instantaneous as she grabbed his arm, almost pulling it out of its socket, bustling toward the direction of her black doctor's bag.

"You will take me to her immediately Yahiko, why you didn't mention this before is beyond me –" Yahiko found himself halfway across the room before he dug his feet in.

"Megumi! Stop! She's ok. Kenshin fixed her up –" The tall woman looked at him blankly, stopping in her quest across the room but still tugging lightly on his arm.

"Kenshin? He's not back yet." Both Tae and Megumi stared at each other, silently communicating in a language which Yahiko was obviously not meant to understand.

"He and Sano got home late last night…" He managed to get out before he was interrupted yet again.

"Oh. In that case, Yahiko, come with me. We're going to get some food for you to take home. Megumi? Would it be alright if you could see the family in the back before you leave?" Megumi had relinquished her control on his arm and he was now being ushered toward the kitchen by Tae, a gentle but firm hand leading him onward. By the time he left the kitchen he was feeling quite worn out and holding onto some containers of food, he found Megumi waiting for him by the door. Taking one last glance over the Akabeko, she then focused her attention on him, her eyes sharp and her voice brisk over the rain outside and the buzz of voices inside.

"Right. Yahiko, I am going to take you home. Then I am going to check up on Kaoru. And then someone will have _a lot_ of explaining to do."

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you have time, drop me a line or a review. When writing, criticism is always helpful!


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N**: I'm really sorry with all the slow updates. Yes, I do intend on finishing this story. I have this marvelous story plan set out, and we're really only getting into the fun bits now. I'm trying my best to submit these chapters within the chaotic world that is known as everyday life. I do hope you don't give up on this story and that you enjoy it as much as I do.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own RK.

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Kenshin could hear Saitou's growl in the background while he prowled back and forth in front of the bars. The men still looked petrified as they watched him pace. Sanosuke had saved them once, stopping him from breaking down the bars with his sakabatou and strangling them with his bare hands. It would not do them justice to make their lives painless. They would suffer just as Kaoru was suffering at home. His Kaoru, with her bright blue eyes, her smile, her happiness… Only, lately she hadn't been as happy as she once was. His thumb ran along the handle of his sakabatou as his thoughts meandered on a particular introspective path. There no longer was a twinkle in her eye whenever he looked into them, if anything there were shadows - shadows which spoke of pain, darkness and little bit of something which he couldn't quite discern. Kenshin clenched his jaw and flicked his eyes towards the man attempting to hide behind the other two - the one responsible for the slices marring Kaoru's perfect skin. Kenshin could see the small cut which adorned the man's throat and felt a niggling of his conscience working. The three men before him had been defeated, knocked out and trussed up by a woman. By someone who he constantly underestimated. What hadn't she done that he could do further? She had done as much as he would have. Which was to destroy the threat and make sure that the consequences were dealt out by the correct people. Wouldn't he be doing an injustice by taking out his revenge? He would just become another player in police brutality, taking advantage of the system that he fought to hard to protect. It was on this note that Saitou's voice broke into his reverie.

"Battousai, the keys are behind the door on your left. If you wouldn't mind getting this over and done with, I have actual work to do."

However, after Saitou's sarcastically gravelly voice finished his sentence, he heard a whisper of something else. _Don't do it_. Kenshin turned his head towards Sano, who unusually quiet for once, his jaw clenched shut. His stoicism saying more than his lips ever could. The man was obviously angry at the taller police officer, but Kenshin had told Sano that he wouldn't fatally injure the men, so perhaps he trusted Kenshin not to do anything rash. As he took a step towards the door on his left, the men shrank back, and he heard the whisper again. _Kenshin, don't do it_. He hesitated, and Sano took advantage of that moment, striding up behind Kenshin and putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him from moving any further.

"Perhaps we should leave them here to think about what they've done. We can have a charge against them laid-"

"You think that would be enough Sanosuke?!" Kenshin growled at him, cutting him off.

"No, I don't think it would be enough. But who are we to act as both judge and jury?" Sano's words hit close to his earlier thoughts. He valued justice, but at what expense? This was an attack on Kaoru, if anything it should be given a higher priority. And yet, as Kenshin continued his train of thought, Kaoru thought highly of the way that justice was dealt. She wouldn't want him to compromise his values, his belief in the system for her.

"Who are we indeed…" He murmured after a prolonged silence. Sheathing his sword he turned to Saitou, who was attempting to portray a look of boredom. His yellow eyes held something in them which Kenshin could not quite work out. It was almost as if the tall officer was testing him, seeing if he would fail.

"Keep them here." His voice deadly calm. The men, who seemed to realize that Kenshin was no longer going to kill them started making a racket behind him, demanding to be let out and yelling about police brutality.

"I can't keep them here indefinitely, Battousai." Saitou ground out, exhaling a plume of smoke into the air. Kenshin turned to face the bars once more, raising his voice to be heard above the din, his eyes narrowing, focussing all his hatred on the three men.

"Charge them."

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The pace Megumi set upon walking back to the dojo was so fast Yahiko almost had to sprint to keep up with the lady doctor. The fact that she hadn't said a word to him since setting off was telling that she wasn't in a particularly good mood. The rain was still pouring down, but Tae had made sure they were bundled up with hats and coats for the journey and the food was sealed to keep the rain from getting in and ruining the food. He really didn't have time to mull over the events of last night nor did he have time to think of what he would do to solve it. All he could really do was keep speed with Megumi as she seemed to practically fly through the streets, avoiding all the puddles that Yahiko had to dodge every other step. It was clear to him now how Kaoru had injured her ankle. One moment of distraction or worry and she would have easily turned her ankle. Plus, she would have been combating with the darkness. Whilst the rain created a grey curtain over the surroundings, it was still light enough for him to see at least 5 feet in front of him. The journey remained quiet until they reached their destination. They hadn't seen anyone out in the rain, most would have the intelligence to stay inside during the onslaught that was constantly making itself known by the sounds the droplets made upon any surface.

Megumi hesitated at the gate, he could see her hat searching the road and looking around the gate, but he didn't know what for. All he could see was the sign, the gate, the fence and the tops of the tree which stood in the yard. A red piece of clothing was stuck on one of the branches, probably tossed there by the wind which seemed to howl intermittedly. He knew that on the best of days things would get caught in the tree, various items of clothing of varying colours. Kaoru seemed to always be climbing up and down the tree over the past couple of weeks muttering to herself as she pulled the misplaced items down. Yahiko had offered to take the pieces of cloth out of the tree himself but the response Kaoru had given him was slightly complex, and, what he considered, very girly and uniquely Kaoru.

"_Kaoru, you know I can go up and get them if you want?" Yahiko stood at the base of the tree, slightly transfixed at the sight of his instructor daintily perched on a branch._

"_Oh! No, it's quite alright Yahiko." She called down to him, blowing her fringe out of her face._

"_I like climbing trees. It reminds me of when I was little, I used to climb up here all the time and watch the people walk by… Picking up these random pieces of cloth gives me a legitimate excuse to come up here." Her voice was vaguely whimsical when she said this. Who was he to take away one of the simple pleasures in her life. _

However, it was odd that he never saw her smile when she climbed the tree.

"Yahiko, if both Kenshin and Sanosuke have returned from wherever they pranced off to, where are they now?" Megumi's voice cut through his train of thought. Her eyes were narrowed and focused on him, expecting a response.

"They left this morning to go deal with something I think. Or report in. They seemed to leave in a hurry…"

"And so they left Kaoru, who, I remind you, was injured last night, all alone?" Her voice was deceptively level as she tossed this accusation at him.

"I… er…" His stuttering was interrupted as an inquisitive voice rang out across the pond that was forming in their front yard.

"Megumi?" The doctor turned her head toward the sound and then swiftly made her way across to Kaoru who was leaning against a pole out of the rain. Yahiko shut the gate behind him and followed at a slower pace, he could see that Megumi was already fussing over Kaoru, checking the mark on her face before making a quick inventory of her injuries. Both women were mumbling, but he assumed that they were talking about the events of last night and since he had already heard all the gory details, he called across to them, stating his intentions of fixing lunch, before making a beeline toward the kitchen to work out the food.

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She could feel their ki making their way to the dojo before they even reached the gate. Yahiko seemed to be slightly baffled, yet she could feel a faint simmer of anger which seemed to be pressing him forward. Megumi, on the other hand, was bursting full of anger interlaced with worry and slight confusion. As they stepped through the gate, she could see Megumi quietly talking to Yahiko who seemed to be lost for words and she decided to step in, calling out to the tall woman.

"Megumi?" The woman in question snapped her attention from Yahiko to Kaoru so fast that if Kaoru hadn't have been used to this kind of behaviour she would have been stunned.

"What did I tell you about staying away from active duty for _another week_ tanuki?!" Megumi hissed at her, checking the cut on her cheek, turning it into the light.

"What else have to done to yourself?" Mindful of Yahiko, Megumi kept her voice low. Kaoru rose an eyebrow before she rattled off her injuries and tried to keep as still as possible as Megumi checked the cut on her arm and her leg. Whilst this was going on Yahiko had called out that he was going to fix lunch before turning toward the kitchen. Megumi chose that moment to prod her ribs in response to the tightening of Kaoru's facial muscles, the doctor only shook her head.

"I can't keep fixing you up, you know that, right? You need to be more careful. Especially since…" Megumi's voiced trailed off, her face thoughtful. Kaoru fought the urge to shake the rest of the sentence out of the woman. Trailing off half-way through a sentence was one of her pet hates. If you weren't going to finish a sentence, then you shouldn't start one. Megumi glanced out over the pond of her front yard and checked the hallway toward the kitchen.

"Why did they return so early?" She quietly asked Kaoru, her voice soft and inquisitive; her eyebrows were scrunched in consternation. Kaoru stared over towards the gate, her fingers plucking at the sleeves of her hakama.

"I don't know. I was assured that the task they were given would take them longer. I presume that they had some help."

"Did you – "

"Do you think I would leave something _this_ important to _the last minute_?" Kaoru hissed, interrupting Megumi's question.

"I didn't mean to insinuate anything negative tanuki." Megumi replied shortly. Kaoru closed her eyes and titled her head back to lean against the pole gathering the energy to speak and apologize.

"I know, I'm sorry, I just… If I had left the task even one day later, I wouldn't have been able to complete it." Annoyance was audible in her voice and she sighed.

"Kaoru, I know that I don't have to tell you this, but you need to be more _careful_. You were lucky that those ribs weren't broken. Those take months to heal." Kaoru opened her eyes and glared at the woman who had made herself elegantly comfortable beside her on the porch.

"Yes, well, Tokio's taken me off active duty for the next couple of days – "

"You need more than a couple of _days_ to heal with your ankle that size." Megumi hissed waspishly, her hand gently pressing on the swollen appendage. Megumi sighed as she begun to unwind the bandage the Kenshin had wrapped around it last night. Carefully turning her ankle this way and that, Megumi tsked at the limited movement that Kaoru could make without hissing in pain.

"It's not broken, but you should stay off it as much as possible…" She broke off as she started rummaging through her bag of medicinal items.

"I have a healing balm for you that I keep forgetting to give you in here somewhere…" She pulled out a package of the easily identifiable balm that Kaoru had been using on her ribs the past couple of weeks.

"We've got some of that already. I've been using it on the bruising on my ribs." Kaoru pointed out to which Megumi tilted her head questioningly.

"I don't think so, I've only just made this, the only other person I've given this to is…" Megumi broke off, her eyes slightly distant, a worried expression beginning to adorn her face.

"You gave it to…? Megumi, you know I hate it when people stop mid-sentence." Kaoru began to worry at the slight panic that was now racing away across the older woman's face.

"I gave it to Sanosuke before they went away. I even explained what it did…" Kaoru put a comforting arm Megumi's shoulder.

"So they left it behind. It's not a big deal; we can pass it off as Yahiko being the teenage boy he is. You know how they always seem to be falling down with their lack of co-ordination. Don't worry about it." Whilst the comforting words easily spilled out of her mouth, Kaoru's mind was racing, trying to work out how she had reacted to Kenshin pulling out the tub of balm yesterday. She didn't think that he was testing whether or not she recognized it, and she was pretty sure that she hadn't said anything stupid like 'hey! Wow! That stuff works wonders!' or 'yes, I've been using that balm for the past couple of weeks and I agree that it's needed to help with the healing of my injuries…' It was Kenshin that she needed to be concerned about with his eye for detail, and since he hadn't seemed particularly worried about the use of the balm, then neither should she. Satisfied that she was sure that she hadn't given anything away, she half smiled at the still worried doctor. Megumi took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly, staring at the roof above them.

"I don't know how you do it Kaoru, but if it comes to back to bite you, then you're dealing with it yourself." Opening the balm, she begun to rub it gently into Kaoru's swollen foot. Yahiko chose that moment to walk around the porch with lunch. Kaoru noted that he was trying his best to not spill the pile of food heaped on the tray and quirked her mouth at the difference between now and this mornings' breakfast excitement. He set the tray down next to her, between herself and Megumi, away from the edge of the porch. Yahiko silently watched as Megumi finished rubbing the balm in and begun to re-bandage her ankle before interrupting.

"I'll go and get the tea…" Megumi handed Kaoru the balm before standing up.

"No, Yahiko, you sit with Kaoru, I'll get the tea. I have to wash my hands anyway." Kaoru turned to Yahiko, who was shuffling in his spot on the floor and smiled at him.

"How is Tae coping at the Akabeko?" she asked softly. He immediately stopped fidgeting, blushed a little and then answered her.

"She's alright. Tsubame's there with her and some people have been alternating throughout the day in order to help out…" A look of consternation crossed his face before he hesitatingly started again.

"Kaoru… I'm… I'm sorry that you thought that you had to come home for me –"

"That's enough apologizing Yahiko." She reached out and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her.

"What's done is done." She said softly to him, urging him to believe her. It was in that brief moment that she saw Yahiko as a vulnerable young boy, not the tough samurai that he was trying so hard to be. And then the moment was broken as he jerked away, hearing Megumi bringing the tray of tea. As Megumi settled herself between Kaoru and Yahiko, Kaoru felt a shift in the ki surrounding the house. The remaining housemates were about to make an appearance. As Sano and Kenshin stalked through the gate Kaoru felt Megumi stiffen beside her as she quickly stifled a gasp of surprise. Kenshin was heading directly toward them; his whole frame seemed to be vibrating with fury.

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She had given them access to the intel that they needed to complete their mission from "the wolf". She had leant them Aoishi. She had even given them free room and board. They had not returned the favour. Not only did they refuse to share the circumstances behind the mission, they hadn't even brought any kind of information that would do her network justice. After the Shishio incident, she had kept one ear on the rumblings on the underground. Not only on the underground. The government was flailing, the sudden appearance of an enemy of the state (score one for Shishio – she had to admit, the man had had style, for a bad guy) had produced a kind of blind panic, only to be hushed up once Himura had dealt with it. It was amazing the kind of information that was leaked through servants. Almost insulting really.

However, what she had deduced from all her sources of information was mildly concerning.

_Something was going on_.

She didn't have any evidence apart from that niggling feeling in her gut, but she was sure of it. So, she did what any self-respecting ninja would do. She collected copies of all of her reports; made sure her informants would keep supplying her with information whilst abroad and followed them. With a days worth of a head start, she didn't think that they would get too much ahead of her – information-wise. She was adept at gaining the intel that she needed. And what she couldn't procure herself, there were normally people willing to help her out, given the right amount of persuasion. As part of a well-known, yet secret, ninja group, she had a duty to Japan to uphold peace and security as long as she could. Makimachi Misao, leader of the Oniwabanshū, would not be returning to Kyoto until she was satisfied that Japan was not going to plunge into discord once more.

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**A/N**: Please feel free to review, I do enjoy hearing the responses from you all. And I appreciate the time you guys take to do so. Thanks for all your kind words.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N**: I am ridiculously sorry that it's taken so long to update. I do intend to finish this story - I've got an outline and everything. It just takes time to write. Between two jobs and travelling between two continents, it does make things a little difficult. Please bear with me - it will get finished! This chapter is dedicated to Skenshingumi + Yume Mikage.

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The morning had started off with some potential to be almost pleasant, despite the rain. He had sent off a message to Kyoto, he figured he would inform the itachi that now was an appropriate time to visit – when Kaoru couldn't run away, and he had spoken with Katsu. A productive morning. Almost pleasant and normal apart from the liquid falling endlessly from the sky and the worry for Kaoru. His morning had then been interrupted by the less than satisfactory 'meeting' at the police station. Instead of beating the men responsible into a grounded pulp, he had instead found himself protecting them with an odd sense of chivalry.

And now he was walking back home in the rain.

Sano hated rain.

And he hated being in the rain with such an angry red-head.

Sano, as anyone could probably tell by now, was not a happy chappy. He was normally satisfied with sitting on the front porch, a bottle of sae and a fox within hearing distance to bait.

Instead, he was traipsing through the sludge that was Tokyo.

Again.

With an angry Kenshin.

Again.

In the rain.

Again.

The only thing that he seemed to be looking forward to was the fact that his clothes from last night were bound to be dry by now. And he wasn't going to move from the house until the sun came out. Or until the rain stopped pelting down. At least.

The dry warmth of home was something he was looking forward to very much. And with an injured Kaoru to distract an angered Kenshin… Well, he was willing to make her the sacrificial lamb for the greater good. Also known as his sanity.

He had gladly followed a glowering Kenshin out of the police station, avoiding a somewhat subdued Saitou on the way out. He briefly saw the calculating look that the tall policeman shot at Kenshin's back before he too, turned on his heels to go and yell at some unfortunate subordinate. Whilst Saitou was what Sano considered a thorn in his side, he was really glad that he wasn't on the _other side_.

For weeks they had been doing dirty work for Saitou, collecting information, quizzing different towns about their relations to the Japanese underground. If anything, Sano was surprised at the organization of the Police during this time of upheaval. People, meaning the higher ups of society, were still worried about the Shishio incident. They had attempted to keep it quiet, but when things like that happen… It was more likely that it was going to turn into one massive ghost story… Or, the story would be used as some way of scaring small children away from doing immoral actions. However, he did have a niggling feeling somewhere in his gut that both he and Kenshin were being sent on wild goose chases. The tasks they were given could have been undertaken by any police officer, and yet Saitou still sent them anyway. Or, rather, the man in charge of police and citizen liaison officer had been sending them letters and Saitou had the unfortunate task of being the middle man. Since they were paid for their time, Sano wasn't going to complain. There was a kind of weariness about Kaoru when one of them mentioned either food or money. How she was funding the small dojo and the four of them was a mystery. He knew that Kenshin used his coin whenever they went shopping for food without Kaoru. And he himself, had been attempting to cut down on sponging off the food and he had a small side business going with Katsu.

Sighing to himself, he continued to step through the sludge after Kenshin who had somehow managed to set himself a course that would take the longest amount of time to reach the dojo. If he didn't know any better, it was almost as if the man was attempting to calm himself down before he got to Kaoru. Normally, Kenshin would become increasingly tense whilst away on whatever pointless errand Saitou chose to send them on. However, upon returning home, he would slowly become more and more relaxed and upon seeing the dojo still standing, and, more likely than not see Kaoru running after Yahiko with a broom or a bokken, would completely loosen up, the lines on his face would disappear and he would jovially announce "maa maa, sessha thinks that's quite enough, Yahiko," and all would be right in the world once more. The opposite seemed to be occurring right now.

Kenshin had left the police station vibrating with fury, barely containing the anger that reverberated through his core. Sano could see that Kenshin was only just keeping his anger under wraps – it was the closest Sano had ever seen Kenshin to losing it, his fury struggling in its aim to revert to the coldness of Battousai. Sano could feel his anger clamouring to reach the surface and it was taking all of Kenshin's will not to let it out. Kenshin seemed to be contemplating something before he stopped briefly in the rain, his fists clenched. Without turning around he spoke slowly and whilst his voice was low, it was still loud enough to hear about the pelting rain.

"There is something going on with Saitou, Sanosuke. I don't know what it is, but I think there is a link to Kaoru. And I will not rest until I find out what it is." His words were filled with anger, conviction and steel and it had Sano thinking. Not waiting for Sano to acknowledge the statement, Kenshin began moving once more. They were both quiet for the rest of the journey home, Kenshin's anger struggling with him whilst Sano was lost in his own thoughts.

"_You know this is a long-shot, right?" Katsu glanced at him, almost pleading with him not to go ahead with his somewhat brilliant idea._

"_Are you kidding me? It could quite possibly be the best plan I've had this year!" Sano puffed out his chest and pointed to the item held in his left hand._

"_The best you've had this year? Tell me, when have your other so-called brilliant plans been carried out? Never?" Back in bantering mode, Sano was glad that Katsu had taken the bait. It wasn't like his friend to worry about him. Sometimes Katsu knew way too much. However, considering the fact that Katsu knew how Kaoru struggled to find work in Tokyo and also realized that Sano felt slightly guilty about sponging off her, it was a serious matter when Sano had broached the subject of money with him. _

"_You're just jealous that I grew up to be ridiculously taller than you." Sano threw Katsu a cocky grin._

"_I can't help the fact that you missed out on that gene-pool, short-ass. Now quit beating my idea down and take it." Handing Katsu the package in question, Sano turned and walked away._

"_You don't learn anything by merely doing nothing Tsunan. If this doesn't work, then I'll think of something else."_

Without realizing it, both he and Kanshin were standing in front of the gates to the dojo. Without turning towards him, Kenshin spoke once more.

"You will not tell Kaoru what happened this morning Sanosuke."

"She would probably understand –"

"She is not to know."

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He had just shoved some rice in his mouth when he saw Kaoru tense. Unless one was attuned to particular people, like Yahiko was to Kaoru, the probability of catching something of that minutest of detail was minimal. Similarly, he felt rather than saw Megumi straighten from her position of pouring tea for everyone, a slight gasp falling from her lips as the Dojo gates revealed two familiar soaked figures. Kenshin seemed to be strung out with fury as he stood beside Sano, who seemed… contemplative. Rather than matching the emotion of the shorter man beside him, Sano tilted his head to one side and seemed to be considering Kaoru as she sat watching them in the gateway. From where Yahiko sat on the porch, he saw Kenshin stalk toward them as Sano turned to shut the gate. Both Megumi and Kaoru seemed to change out of their tense postures into warily watching Kenshin approach. Before either of them could call out, Kenshin's voice cut through the rain.

"Kaoru, what are you doing out here? You should be resting." Yahiko, conscious of the undercurrents of the Dojo, heard the possessive and commanding nature of Kenshin's question and statement. Yahiko turned his head from Kenshin to Kaoru, who seemed to have straightened her posture against the post she had previously been leaning against.

"I specifically recall you saying not to strain myself. However, I don't remember agreeing with you." Kaoru's voice was level, almost cold compared to her voice moments before Sano and Kenshin had turned up.

"It wasn't a request Kaoru." His voice was hard, uncompromising. Kaoru's entire frame tightened, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

It was like watching a ping-pong match.

Yahiko started at Kaoru and then shifted his gaze to Kenshin.

Stalemate.

Neither one seemed willing to back down on their statements. Sano was still trudging toward the porch, only just managing to get the gate to lock, completely oblivious to the confrontation in front of him. A lost cause.

Glancing at Megumi, he saw her calculating eyes shift wearily between Kenshin and Kaoru, although she didn't seem to want to step in between the two either.

Silently batting against each other, neither Kenshin nor Kaoru seemed to be concerned with anyone else but the other. If Yahiko didn't do something soon, there would likely be a large explosive argument, a battle of wills – and neither Kenshin nor Kaoru would give an inch. So, it seemed, it was up to him. Yahiko gulped. Hoping that he wouldn't be seriously injured for the words that were about to come out of his mouth, Yahiko firmly placed his teacup on the tray. Summoning all the teenage angst he could muster, he announced –

"Geeze, why don't you get a room already?"

Silence.

Although the raindrops shattered the illusion, the tension suddenly popped. Kaoru turned to meet his gaze – he was unwilling to think that there was any fear whatsoever reflected in his – her eyes were murderous, before she cocked her head to one side. Her eyes widened as she took in his clenched fists, his slightly erratic breathing and his posture – which had traitorously turned into a 'don't hit me' pose. An emotion which Yahiko couldn't discern flickered in her blue eyes before they became completely devoid of any emotion. Procuring a stray bokken – where _did_ that come from? – she gently bopped him on the head.

"Mou, Yahiko, honestly, you are such a child" she announced softly whilst pouting at him. And just like that the crisis was averted. At which time Sano, the unhelpful sodden man in white, flung himself beside Yahiko, moaning about the weather.

"I think perhaps we should change before we join the others for lunch Sanosuke." Kenshin was still standing in front of Kaoru, the tension still visible, but unwilling to provoke her further. He had slightly turned toward Sano who was slumped next to Yahiko, thus the young warrior could see through the red fringe – Yahiko saw the swirling gold of Kenshin's eyes, the tenseness of his posture and the whiteness of his clenched fists. He was still angry.

No longer wanting to be the distraction, Yahiko hopped up from his place between Sano and Megumi.

"While you two change, I'll get the food, there's heaps more in the Kitchen. Tae filled us up for all the help Kaoru gave last night…" His voice faded out as he registered that it probably wasn't the wisest topics he had brought up. Whilst scampering away to the safety of the kitchen he looked back, caught Kaoru's attention and rubbed the back of his head. Careful to exaggerate his movements, he hoped that she caught on that he wasn't actually mad at her. A twitch of her lips into a smile and small nod ensured that the message was caught and acknowledged. The small exchange was not missed by either Megumi or Kenshin.

_From the shadows of the dojo, Yahiko watched as Kaoru spoke to Sano in the courtyard. In the darkness, their figures were lit only by the moonlight. The stars twinkled merrily in the sky above them. He couldn't work out what they were talking about, but it seemed as though Sano needed to get something off his chest._

_He didn't understand how Sano could be so tough with everyone else and yet seemed to melt whenever Kaoru was around. Maybe that was why Sano was always so concerned with Kenshin and Kaoru. Perhaps he liked her. Ew. She was just a sweaty kendo instructor, not really feminine like Tsubame. As Yahiko stared out into the yard, Kaoru, in her sleeping yukata with her hair down, he supposed she was kind of pretty. Only just._

_Deciding to take Megumi's suggestion into consideration, he supposed he could try to be nicer to her. If only to keep Kaoru from making him stand on another bucket..._

_

* * *

_

She had made better time travelling than she expected. Instead of finding somewhere to stay for the night, she had managed to hop aboard with a family who were travelling from Kyoto to Tokyo. Conveniently, they had a large caravan, so Misao was kept dry, and warm amongst the family. The drumming of the rain on the canvas had lulled her to sleep and she had awoken when they had stopped for breakfast. Not wanting overstay her welcome, she took out her coat and hat and disappeared into the rain. She arrived in Tokyo around lunch time. Skirting around town, she kept her ear to the ground, trying to pick up stray information. There were still people moving about, hurrying from one place to the next. She briefly stopped in the Akabeko, creeping in through an upstairs window and listening to gossip in the stairwell. Unfortunately, Kaoru's kindness was still gossip. Being young and unmarried with three males not of her relation was still considered scandalous.

The rain created a dark curtain that dampened the entire area. Listening to gossip concerning her friend always made her heart hurt. Managing to sneak into the kitchen, she snuck some food in a bag and left some money where she knew it would be found. It took more than an hour to make it to the area which kept the dojo, and the clouds which hadn't cleared, kept the light from filtering through. Misao shrugged against the rain, caught up on a branch overlooking the dojo. She felt that she was markedly inconspicuous against the darkness that had set upon the dojo. Why she hadn't announced her arrival as usual was beyond her, but something was going on at the dojo. _She could feel it._


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** So my dear readers – again, I apologize for the delay. It seems that it's just going to take longer than anticipated to finish this story. It will get finished though, don't you worry about that!

I'm not entirely certain about this particular chapter – but I needed to move the storyline along and this is what came out of it. I find it interesting – but it doesn't give much away...

I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer**: the usual. I don't own any of the characters – I merely borrow them.

* * *

Kenshin watched as Yahiko silently communicated with Kaoru, rubbing his head with his nose scrunched up – telling her that he had forgiven her for the bop on the head. Whilst he was sure Kaoru's anger at the young boy had been quick in its passing, he also knew that Yahiko meant no harm with his outburst. In fact, the way he had watched Kenshin's 'argument' with Kaoru, only interrupting when neither of them were going to give an inch. Well, his timing was almost perfect. Like he was going to give them as much time to sort it out themselves, but upon working out that they weren't, he had stepped in and taken care of it himself. He kept on underestimating the young samurai. So young, yet so knowledgeable about the world of the dojo. This young boy was maturing at a rate that seemed almost ridiculous.

Turning away from the two ladies seated before him, he pulled Sano across the wet yard towards their rooms. Careful, so as not to create massive puddles, he wrung as much water from his clothes as he possibly could. He knew now that he shouldn't have walked in expecting her to be in her room resting. She was never one to sit and mope, but she generally took his advice. Which was why he was more than a little concerned that she had changed and had managed to locate herself on the porch. He supposed that she could have been helped, but he doubted it. Sitting with Megumi, one foot propped up on some towels and in a hakama and gi he knew he hadn't seen before, wasn't something he had anticipated. Unclenching his jaw, he tried to relax himself to the point of rationality. There was something going on here. There were certain undercurrents that he was starting to pick up. Not knowing whether or not where they had come from, he needed to work out just what Kaoru had been up to lately.

Frowning, he was about to step into his room to change, yet again, but he was distracted by Sano's cough for attention.

"Kenshin, if we take any more trips through this sodden wasteland, I am going to run out of dry clothes." Sano had stopped outside of his door, holding onto the shoji with a firm grip. Kenshin looked up at the taller man, slightly in askance.

"As in, no more side-trips. Both of us are tired, almost completely worn out. Jou-chan is at her wits end... and Yahiko... Well, that boy is up to something. I don't have the energy or the patience to watch you order around Jou-chan while she fights back."

"Hai. There is something going on here Sano. I am going to find out just what exactly has been going on in our absence..." From the expression on Sano's face, he could see he had been wondering exactly the same thing.

"And. Just another thing, since when has Megumi been nice?" It was a question that threw Kenshin a little, it was a completely different topic.

"Sano. Megumi has always been nice" he answered dryly. In fact, the amount of time the woman spent throwing herself at Kenshin indicated that she had always been a little more than _nice_.

"Not to us. To Kaoru. Since when has she ever _been nice to Kaoru_" Sano stressed his sentence slowly. As a matter of fact, there was something different about that relationship. He had always thought that Kaoru had matured a little, no longer rising to Megumi's bait. But Megumi hadn't been baiting Kaoru lately.

Just what, exactly, was going on here?

* * *

Megumi sighed. She was worried. And she hated secrets. She understood the need for them, but she wished that she was still oblivious to the undercurrents and secrets of Tokyo. The whole scene that had just played out in front of her was enough of a reason to tell Kaoru to quit being so stupid and leave it to the big boys to handle.

She knew that Kaoru was strong and a woman on a mission but she needed help.

The first time Kaoru had shown up at the clinic clutching her arm, she had been worried that one of her moron students, possible Yahiko, had wounded the poor girl. Examining the wrist, she had told Kaoru it was a sprain, wrapped it in bandage and told her to rest it a couple of days. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, but the intervals between Kaoru's visits, and many injuries, had become shorter and shorter. Most of them had been bruises or sprains and it wasn't until Kaoru's 10th visit that Megumi had become really worried. Kaoru had almost scurried into the door, pain obvious on her young face. Thinking that one of her moronic students had broken her arm, she guided Kaoru into one of the rooms at the back. She could have been more wrong. Once Kaoru's gi had been taken off, and some older bandages carefully pulled away, a long gash, which stretched its way down the young woman's arm had appeared. Infected. She had realized that Kaoru had tried to care for her arm herself, but had not had the appropriate medicine to do so.

"_Megumi, I – " Kaoru began before Megumi's hand waved her off._

"_Just when, you silly Tanuki, do you think you were going to tell me what's going on with..." Megumi searched desperately for the words, her delicate hands waving up and down Kaoru's body._

"_This whole charade?" She finally finished. Megumi's eyes were narrowed, but so was Kaoru's. _

"_I don't know what you're talking about, I fell down an embankment." She hopped off the bed onto her feet, pulling her gi gently over her shoulder, intending to walk out. Her back was straight and stiff, not willing to give an inch. Putting a hand on the shorter woman's shoulder, Megumi added some pressure forcing her back to the direction of the bed. Pulling the gi back off Kaoru's shoulder before the material stuck to the wound, she quietly cleaned it up. After redressing her arm, Megumi washed her hands and sat back in front of Kaoru, grabbing her chin gently and turning it to face her._

"_Kaoru, if you lie straight to my face again, I will not help you." Megumi had seen the way that Kaoru's vibrancy had been slowly sucked away. Watched as the light in her eyes slowly dim. But she had also seen Kaoru's resolve getting stronger and stronger. Which was quite odd considering nothing had changed at the dojo. Something she was quite sure that the moronic men had something to do with. Thank Kami she had managed to influence Yahiko a little. Kaoru's response was so soft that she had almost missed it, lost in her own thoughts._

"_It is not something I can tell you Megumi" The woman said quietly._

"_Oh? So you're just going to keep expecting me to patch you up and __**not**__ tell Kenshin?" Not wanting to beat around the bush, she attacked the problem straight on._

"_Kaoru, unless you tell me what you've mixed yourself up in, and I know that it's dangerous, then I am not going to keep fixing you up. And I'm going to tell Kenshin." She had hissed her reply, tired of all the smoke and mirrors._

"_Give me a day to think about it, Megumi. If I don't come back, you have my permission to come and track me down."_

But there was no need for Megumi to track Kaoru down. She had turned up the next morning with a tall woman she had not known. And then they told her everything that she hadn't wanted to know. Which included just exactly what Kaoru had been doing the past couple of months.

So, as a confidante to Kaoru's secrets, she also patched her up every so often. So integrated was she into Kaoru's world, she became friends with Tokio. Ironically, knowing what Kaoru managed to get herself into made it a whole lot easier to look after her. As a doctor, she treated a whole range of injuries and sicknesses. Since her integration into Kaoru's world, however, her repertoire became a whole lot wider.

When the men returned in dry clothes, she felt them appraising her. Looking up at Kenshin first, she smiled coyly at him.

"It's been a while Ken-san. How have you been?" She felt Sano looking at her and she rose an eyebrow at him, but waited for a response from the redhead.

"I have been well Megumi. It has been a long time since we have all been together like this. I think we'll be staying around for a while. Saitou can do his own dirty work". At Kenshin's pronouncement, Kaoru had stiffened by her side. A movement that did not go unnoticed by either Kenshin or Sano.

Megumi caught the end of a smirk from Sano and a glint of gold from Kenshin's eyes.

They _knew _something was going on.

Things were about to get a whole lot more interesting at the dojo.

* * *

She was angry. How dare he suggest that she were to sit idly by? It wasn't as if she was a complete invalid. She knew her strengths. And her weaknesses – both Megumi and Tokio kept her well aware of those. Not only did she know about them in terms of her everyday life, but also her emotions and her thoughts. Her failings seemed to be a source of amusement for the two women, but neither teased her about it too much. They knew about the fiery temper that simmered just underneath the surface. They also knew she knew too much about them and could hold information at ransom. She let out a deep breath. It would do her no good to hold onto the thoughts circling her had. Instead she continued staring as the wind tossed and turned the rain that kept on hovering over the city. Blanketing the area in a grey curtain of obscurity. She had been mostly silent in her contemplative anger throughout the afternoon, not wanting to break the almost peace of the dojo.

Kaoru had known from an early age that she wasn't like most of her schoolyard friends. While her class struggled with additions and multiplications, she was racing ahead. Her father had taken her aside when she was eight in an attempt to figure out why she was so disruptive in class. It was earlier in the year that her teachers had changed. Her old teacher had seen that Kaoru was quick to pick up on material taught in class and had provided her with other things to keep her occupied whilst the others caught up. The newer teacher had not known what to do with Kaoru and had not interpreted her fast pace as intelligence, instead labelling it rebellious disruption. Upon discovering that she would complete her work in silence and then start fidgeting, the teacher would claim that Kaoru had cheated and a fight would ensue. It was that year that Kaoru had been taken out of school and placed under private tuition.

"_Kao-chan, if I had known that this was an issue, I would have provided you with a more thorough education"_ He had claimed with a wry grin. Later that week she had been set up with dozens of new school books ranging from math, geography, history, and her favourite, English lessons. Those lessons were special because one of her father's friends brought his daughter with him and the three of them would spend the morning with her, conversing solely in english. It was only later that she had found out that the man and his daughter were more than just visiting delegates from another country.

She had sighed in relief when Kenshin had finally left her side, opting to make dinner for them, not leaving his chances to whatever Sanosuke had lumbered off to make. It was quite a feat in and of itself for him to even offer (or contemplate for that matter) to make dinner. It was more than likely he was trying to distance himself away from the strained atmosphere that had been developing between Kenshin and herself. Capitalizing on the silence that now hovered around her, she reworked what had happened this evening.

_"You know, you're going to catch a cold if you don't wear enough warm clothing" Kenshin had said, dropping a gi around her shoulders. Almost at once she had been enveloped by the smell of pine and ginger. Tilting her head slightly to one side, she eyed the material over her shoulder. A dark blue material of a heavier substance settled itself around her small frame. Fingering the material, she kept her voice quiet._

_"Usually a light blanket would do, I can't have you go without your other gi. You only own so many..." He had smothed the material over her shoulders, lingering a little and leaning down to whisper in her ear. His hair caressed her neck almost lovingly._

_"The colour suits you Kaoru..."_

He was beginning to become a whole lot less subtle about, well, everything. Mou. Why now? She would have been fine with his advances if it had been a couple months ago, but since then he had been distant. To be fair, she had, by that stage, found Saitou and had been distracted with the books her father had left her. That, combined with the less than satisfactory responses of the boys, no. Men, who lived with her at the dojo, and the lessons which tried to keep them all fed. She had been tired and worn out.

She slowly stood from her position by her bedroom door, her ankle groaning from the slight pressure she had placed on it. Unfortunately, it still looked about five times its normal size and throbbed whenever she let it take a small amount of her weight. Annoyed at her own inability to do anything, she had decided to hobble to the kitchen to join the men in their making of dinner. Instead, she heard a whisper of movement and caught a small projectile that had been aimed at the screen in front of her. Scowling at the direction from which it came, she unfurled it.

_You are being watched. Small person of indefinable gender. Sixth tree from the gate. Forth branch._

Understanding that she was in a vulnerable position and required a certain amount of help did nothing for the fact that she now knew she was being watched by three parties. Kenshin, Sano, Megumi and Yahiko hovered around her until she got annoyed enough to send them away. Saitou had obviously sent someone to watch over the dojo. And the third... Well, she had an inkling, and she really didn't like it. If the small ninja wonder wanted information, she would either have to figure it out by herself. Or ask. Asking would be quicker.

Signalling to whoever sent her the message that she would deal with it, she then stared directly at the branch indicated. Once she felt that the person on the branch knew that they were being watched, she crooked her finger, indicating that they should come out of hiding.

* * *

**A/N**: Please let me know what you think. Thanks in advance!


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